A Comedy of Errors
by goblinesque
Summary: A new detective with ties to Gotham City is brought back into the criminal empire when the Joker comes to power. Will she be able to bring him to justice or will she be added to the ever growing list of victims?
1. Welcome to Gotham City

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Gotham City**

**So I wrote this story like 3-4 years ago and then deleted it. So some readers may recognize names (though I've decided that I'm going to take the original story in a whole new direction)**

**I own nothing but my own characters.**

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Large jets and passenger planes moved through the bright blue skies of Gotham City. People busied themselves with their own tasks and jobs. The Gotham citizens went about their day trying to make a living in one of the most crime infested cities in the United States. No matter how many mad men were put behind bars, there was always another to take the lead of the pack of mad dogs. That's the thought that made its way out of the darkness and into the light of Bruce Wayne's mind as he looked down at the newspaper that sat in his lap.

A black and white photograph of a woman was printed in the middle of the page. She was first page news, though the Joker headline beat her to the top.

"So Gordon asked in for re-enforcements on this one," Bruce asked as he looked at the woman's picture and the headline "**NEW DETECTIVE TO LEAD JOKER CASE**" glared back at him in an attempt to shame him for not capturing the murderous clown. He heard a chuckle escape from his trustworthy butler and caretaker. He looked up at Alfred who was driving him to his building in downtown Gotham.

"What," Bruce asked as a small grin pulled at the corners of his lips. The newspaper rumpled and crackled against his legs as the car moved over covered pot holes in the road.

"I was just thinking, Master Wayne," Alfred answered with a mischievous smile on his face, "about what you would do if a girl beat you to the Joker? I can just hear the criminals in this town. They'd never let the Batman live it down that a detective won where Batman lost."

"It doesn't really matter to me," Bruce answered as he casually glanced down at the woman's picture, "if this," he peered through the article to find her name, "if this Detective Bagheera Lewis gets to him first. As long as he is captured by someone and locked away so the madness and bloodshed can end. And for the criminals," he chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, "well I can just knock them around a bit."

Alfred and Bruce shared a short lived laugh at Bruce's honest answer. There hadn't been much laughter between the two since the Joker had entered Gotham City from seemingly thin air. He was like a ghost that appeared and refused to leave. He had a tight grip on the city. The Gotham newspapers had dubbed him "The Clown Prince of Crime" and had issued out theories on the Joker's identity belonged to. The Joker was given the same treatment as the Batman. Theories had been sent in from all kinds of people, from nurses at Arkham to decorated police officers. There simply was no answer as to who he was and where he came from, and that little fact caused more fear to ripple through the city.

"Did you read the article," Alfred asked as he pulled to a stop at a red light.

"Scanned through it," he answered simply as he pushed the newspaper away from him. He looked out the car window and looked up to the city that his father had helped bring into modernity. Large towers and bridges looked down at him as the car was pulled into motion once again.

"She was sent here," Alfred informed him, "as a favor to Gordon from Baltimore. Ms. Lewis has led the front on many large cases down there. She pulled in some big fish apparently."

"It said she's shot and killed five people," Bruce said as he allowed his eyes to move over to the newspaper. He looked at the woman's photo. It was a plain photo of her during a perp walk. Her ling fingers wrapped tightly around the perp's arm and her long, dark hair had been pulled up in a simple pony tail. She wasn't beautiful, but she wasn't ugly either from the photograph. She looked hardened from her work, but yet there was something about her in the photograph that caught his interest.

Alfred smiled and looked through the rearview mirror and replied, "Maybe you should introduce yourself. The paper said that she would be arriving in Gotham by the end of this week," he smiled as he watched Bruce look up at him with a small glint of interest in his eyes, "It's Friday, Master Wayne."

"I know what day it is Alfred," Bruce answered with his own smile as the car pulled into the parking garage of Wayne Tower.

...

Bagheera Lewis looked around her small apartment that the Gotham City Police Department had procured for her in advancement of her coming to their scandalous and corrupt city. The walls weary drab and painted a light brown. The floor was brown indoor/outdoor carpet that the landlord had put in to save on cleaning costs once a renter had moved on to a different apartment building or a different town. There was a couch and a bed ready for her, a table and a working kitchen, and even a television had been placed in front of the couch in her new living room. The apartment was small, but it was habitable. To her eyes, she could not see any signs of rats or cockroaches which was a relief to her. The apartment seemed fitting. She was single, but her life revolved around her work. Her vivid blue eyes were her weapon. The men from Baltimore had given her the nickname "Baby Blue Eyes" and "that sharp eyed shooter" since she had been the detective with the most deaths under her belt. She was lucky in Baltimore. Unlike some female law enforcement officers, she had been mostly spared the sexism that still existed within the law enforcement field. She had only been hassled by criminals and by higher ups when a case ended in some kind of bloody incident. For the most part, she had been lucky in her line of work.

She took in a deep breath. Her new life was beginning in Gotham City and she had been gifted one of the toughest cases that she had ever been given. She had seen reports on the Joker from her residency in Baltimore, but she had never dreamed that she would be the leading lady in capturing him. The commissioner, at the request of Jim Gordon, had called down to her offices and had asked if they could spare someone good, someone that knew how to bring in violent criminals. She was the _lucky _one to be picked. She had never wanted to come back to Gotham after she had escaped its suffocating, loveless grip, but here she was in an apartment just outside of the Narrows of Gotham City.

"_Why so serious," _the memory of the first time she had heard that clown's voice echoed in her mind. She had been sitting in her living room alone, eating Chinese takeout, when the news interrupted a re-run of SVU. The Joker had entered her life from the first time that she had seen him on the news.

A honk came from outside her apartment. She looked out the window from the second level of the apartment complex and smiled as she spied a dirtied yellow cab just below her. Her cell phone rang and she quickly picked it up and answered with a happy voice.

"Ms. Lewis," the man, the cab driver, on the other end of the line asked in a fatherly tone, "You called for a cab?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice slightly laced with a Southern accent from many years in Baltimore, as she waved out the window, "I'll be right down."

Bagheera hurried to grab what she needed for her meeting with Jim Gordon. She made sure everything in her apartment was secured and locked tight. Years of living on her own had hardened her to the truth of living near impoverished areas. Nothing was safe in a ghetto.

She entered the cab, ready to start her day as the new lead detective over the Joker case. She gave the cab driver a polite smile as the cabbie pulled her away from her new home.

They rode in silence for most of the cab ride. The sound of the busy freeway was white noise inside the vehicle that the two shared. Bagheera's blue eyes looked up at the approaching towers that zoomed high into the skyline of Gotham. She felt like a small ant as the moved deeper into the city.

"You that new detective they've been talkin' about in the papers," the cab driver asked her as he looked into the rear view mirror to observe her. He watched as her pony tail shook slightly as she turned from the window to look at him. He was an older, burly man, early fifties with greying hair at the edges of his auburn hair. He wore clothes bought from a dollar store that had small bleach stains that would never leave the cloth of the shirt he wore.

"I wasn't aware that I had made the news," Bagheera answered with a kind smile.

"Your picture is all over the place," he answered with a smile, "They said you have killed five people."

"What," Bagheera asked with a small smile of disbelief, "That's not even close to being true."

"That's what the news is sayin'," he informed her.

"Don't believe everything you read," she said with a simple shake of her hair, her ponytail moved with her movements, "I've shot four people. I've only killed one man," she could see the curiosity sparkling in the taxi driver's green eyes as she explained her story, "He was tweaking on some synthetic. He had jumped from a three story building when my partner cornered him in his apartment, he broke and arm and his foot was dislocated after the jump. I met him on the ground and," she paused as the memory crossed her mind, "he was holding a woman as hostage at gunpoint. It was like," she shook her head, "it was like he was immortal, blood was everywhere, he was a raging wild man from those drugs. He tried to kill her, but I was lucky and beat him to the punch," Bagheera rolled her eyes, "It got my ass into a lot of trouble."

"That's why you got sent here," the cab driver asked with a smile as he took in her annoyed expression.

"I was sent here," she answered, though her eyes seemed to deaden at her answer as if she did not entirely believe her own answer, "because I'm good at what I do."

"Well," he said simply as he turned onto Gotham's Main Street, "My daughter is excited for you to be here."

Bagheera's head cocked to the side in interest, "And why is that?"

"She wants a woman to stop him…the Joker," he said, "Her momma," he paused, Bagheera watched as a sudden sadness came over the large man, "May God rest her soul, she was killed by the Joker."

Bagheera straightened in her seat at the man's admission.

"What was her name," she asked simply.

"Claudia," he answered, "Claudia Marie Davies."

"That's a pretty name," Bagheera said with a warm smile as she allowed her blue eyes to me his green eyes in the mirror.

"She went out to get some milk or eggs," he answered, his eyes rolled, "She was making corn bread, she wanted to make it like my momma did when I was growing up. She had to stop at the bank first and well…"

_He blew her up. _Her mind pictured the explosion. She could see the people weeping as the deranged clown with the war paint laughed at the chaos that he was creating.

"I'm going to catch him," Bagheera reassured him just as he pulled the cab in front of the police station.

"Detective Lewis," he stated before she pulled herself out of the back seat, "Thank you for coming here."

"What's your name," she asked as she looked from the large police station back to her cab driver. Her pale blue eyes betrayed no emotion as she awaited his answer. Her facial expressions were blank as she watched him.

"Martin Davies."

"Well, Mr. Davies," she gave him a polite smile, "I promise your wife's murderer won't be free for much longer."

Martin Davies smiled at Bagheera and thanked her as she pulled herself out of his cab and paid for the ride with what little money she had left on her from her trip. The cool Gotham wind blew around her as she walked to the high steps that led to the police station. Wayne Tower looked down on her as she made her way to her destiny.

A sudden jolt moved through her body and she felt someone's presence close beside her. Someone's hand touched her shoulder as she steadied herself from falling backwards down the steps. Bagheera looked up to see a tall, thin man with dark hair and handsome features looking down at her. She cleared her throat as he was apologizing for being so clumsy.

"I was so caught up in myself that I," he stopped as he looked her over, "that I wasn't paying attention."

Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy, stood in front of the new detective that was to bring down a new threat in Gotham. He couldn't help but take her in. She had the bluest eyes. He had only seen blue eyes like hers on one other person in Gotham and he certainly did not want to think about that character as he looked her over.

"Don't worry about it," Bagheera answered as she continued up the stairs, leaving this handsome stranger behind.

"Hey you're that new detective, right? Helping to catch that clown? What do they call him" Bruce asked, feigning ignorance. He had been waiting for her to show up at the station so he could assess her.

"The Joker," she answered in slight annoyance, "Let me guess I was on TV," she asked as she turned to look him over. Something in her brain snapped and she looked over to Wayne Tower and back to the man in front of her that stood tall in a very expensive business suit. She could tell that he even had an expensive hair cut to complete the look and shiny shoes that she knew she would be able to see herself in if she tried to look. Bruce Wayne was standing in front of her with a large smile, and about to cause her to be late for her first day.

"Can't help but not remember a pretty face," Bruce smiled as he backed away from her, his hands slapped together as he moved, "Well I better get back to the tower," he said smugly as he pointed to Wayne Tower in the distance, "and I wouldn't want you to be late for your first day Detective Lewis."

"Thanks," she answered quickly and turned from the billionaire playboy. She rolled her eyes at the encounter. It seemed odd and out of place to her that Gotham's billionaire playboy would go out of his way to meet her. She looked to the skyline and smiled up at Wayne Tower that loomed over the city like a watchful parent.

"Detective Lewis," a voice questioned from the large double doors of the police department.

Bagheera turned away from Wayne Tower and looked over to the small man that was calling her name. He was waving her towards him and she obliged.

"We've been waiting for you," the small, pudgy man informed her, "Gordon would like to brief you on your assignment."

...

The room was mostly silent. The rustles of people from the streets echoed softly throughout the room where the Joker sat alone in front of the old television set. Rabbit ears covered in aluminum foil allowed the clown to see the video of the woman clearly. Her face was down, hiding from the camera, as she pulled her captured criminal to the jail house. He chuckled as the talking head on the TV screen talked about how the detective had shot down five criminals.

"Bagheera Lewis," the Joker announced and allowed his tongue to click against his teeth as if he was tasting her name in his mouth, "What a weird and wacky world we live in Baggy."

The Clown Prince of Crime pushed himself off of the old, moth eaten couch with a flourish of his hands. He chuckled once again as if he were losing control of himself.

"_Detective Bagheera Lewis is a new up and coming detective out of Baltimore,"_ the talking tv head reported, _"She's shot and killed five felons in Maryland. She was asked to come to Gotham City last month in an effort to curb the Joker's violent crimes at the request of Jim Gordon of the Gotham Police Department."_

"_In related news,"_ the second talking head said, _"The Joker has gone on a new spree of robbing and blowing up local banks with mob affiliations a source has revealed to us. The Bank of-"_

The Joker laughed uncontrollably and kicked in the old television set. The sound of the glass fell from the television screen and onto the dusty, dirty, bloodstained floor of the living room. A skin headed henchman, who had lived on the street for most of his adult life, hurried into the living room. His gun was in his hand as he looked for a potential threat inside the small safe house. He watched as the Joker hopped on the glass shards, breaking them into smaller and smaller pieces with each hop.

"Well Spade," the Joker announced as he dramatically jumped from the mess that he had made, "We have a new visitor in town."

The henchman, with the alias of Spade, looked at him in slight confusion.

"Sir?"

"I uhh," the clown stated with a growing smile, "I want to know about this," he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, "little detective that's been sent after me."

The henchman quickly nodded and hurried out of the living room, successfully putting off death at the hands of his employer once again. He could still hear the Joker's wild, manic laughter as he and another henchman hurried out of the hideaway to find out where the new, soon to be deceased detective called home.

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**Reviews are awesome :)**


	2. Demands

**Chapter 2: Demands**

**I don't know how much I like this chapter. It just seems a bit fillerish? More interesting things will happen in the next chapter I promise :)**

**And I've sort of altered the timeline a bit.**

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Bagheera held her head high as she looked at the large wall. Pictures of the Joker's painted face looked back at her while news footage that he had personally directed played on the computer screen on mute. She eyed the wall carefully. Multicolored thumbtacks held the photographs up. Murder victims with faces cut across their faces like a Cheshire cat grin while other victims had been burned to the bone from the various explosions looked back at her as if the victims were mocking her new status as lead detective. The walls around her were walls that she would spend glaring at endlessly until the Joker was caught and convicted. Her new office held nothing personal to her as she looked around the shabby little room.

"So," she heard Jim Gordon announce his presence from outside her opened door, "what are you thinking?"

She turned away from the gruesome photographs and looked over to him with a cunning grin, "Oh just things that my books have told me."

"And what is that," he asked intrigued. Jim Gordon watched the young woman in plain black pants and a button up white shirt pace around the small office as the victims stared back at them both. He tried to ignore the photographs and instead looked to the large Smith & Wesson that sat perfectly in the holster upon her well defined hips.

"Love is lust and lupus is hives," she informed him with that same cunning smile. She turned away from him and walked to a photograph of the Joker, "Has he made any demands? Any leads yet?"

Gordon smiled at the woman and answered, "Prints don't match to anyone in the databases?"

"You checked them all? FBI? CIA," she asked as she pulled the photograph of the Joker leaving a mob bank and moved it to another side of the wall. She was spacing things out in a certain order so her mind could work more freely.

"All of them."

"He was a nobody," she stated and her brows furrowed. Her eyes locked onto his scars that crossed his lips, "This his trademark? Slitting people ear to ear?"

"Yes."

She nodded and replied, "Instead of taking trophies, he leaves reminders," she lightly allowed her hands to move over a Joker card that was tacked into the bulletin board, "There's been no survivors?"

"None yet," Gordon answered honestly.

"He's been hitting mob buildings right? Banks" Bagheera asked to make sure that she had caught up on all things Joker that the news had left out.

"The last target was Gotham National Bank," Gordon informed her. "He robbed it then killed his cohorts. Stole a school bus and left with the cash."

She smiled at the information and asked, "You have footage?"

"Over here," he said as he waved her over to the computer on her new desk, "We uploaded it to your desktop yesterday. Everything concerning the Joker is on here. The audio doesn't work, but you can see everything just fine."

Bagheera sat in front of her new desk and clicked on the file labelled for the Joker case. She waited patiently as the bank's footage took over her screen. She watched as a man in a clown mask mowed down his accomplices along with the mobster on duty at the bank.

"He's not a part of the mob," she said aloud, "That would be suicide. I wouldn't doubt the mob had a bounty on his head right now. He's just up and come out of the dark. Do you have anyone else on this that can infiltrate the mob?"

"We have a certain agent helping along with us that operates outside of the law," Gordon answered.

"Ahh," Bagheera whispered with a knowing smile, "So we are in league with the Batman now?"

"Standard procedure is for him to be arrested on sight," Gordon answered in an emotionless tone, "But he has yet to be seen by any of us."

"The news," Bagheera said, "They cover a lot on the Batman. I've heard that I am now somewhat of a celebrity."

"That was the mayor's idea," he answered, "I wanted it to be kept quiet until everything was sorted."

"Why," she asked, her eyes looked at him with suspicion as she took in his stressed demeanor. Grey hair had already started its assault against the poor man's auburn hair. She had seen many men in law enforcement turn grey before their time; it was a part of the stress of trying to keep a town safe. Keeping a town like Gotham safe was the greyest inducing responsibility that Gotham PD had on their shoulders.

"You think that he'll come after me," she asked. She shrugged her shoulders as she watched Gordon turn away from her and look over to the photographs of the Joker.

"He's been known to have murdered a few officers."

"How many," she asked, her voice lacked emotion as her bright, unnaturally blue eyes looked into his solemn eyes.

"Six."

She turned back to the photographs and shook her head.

"He doesn't have an agenda," she stated, "All of these people," she pointed to every photograph of the clown's victims, "they've all been incidental," she shook her head, "He's not after anything. He's not a cop killer. He's just having," she paused and rolled her eyes as a small dark chuckle escaped her, "He's just having a good laugh. I think that he is trying to get someone's-"

"Is that what you call great detective skills," a new voice interrupted.

Bagheera and Jim Gordon turned together to see a man with blonde hair and a cleft chin. Her blues eyes deemed in slight anger at the man's sudden rude comment. Bagheera couldn't help but thinking of him as some Prince Charming wannabe in a child's fairy tale as she took in his physical details and his expensive suit.

"Gordon," he acknowledged as he walked in deeper into Bagheera's office, "Am I correct in assuming that this young woman is Bagheera Lewis?"

Bagheera looked over to her new boss and awaited his reply. She did not want to be on bad terms with anyone on her first day on the job.

"Yes," Gordon answered, "Detective Lewis this is Gotham's D.A Harvey Dent."

"Nice to meet you Lewis," Harvey said informally as he held his hand out for her to shake. She did politely, "That's a strange first name you have there."

Bagheera shrugged her shoulders and replied with a polite smile, "My parents loved The Jungle Book a little too much."

Harvey Dent chuckled at her answer and then nodded before returning back to his all business personality. Bagheera looked away from the smug district attorney and back to the pictures of the victims. She felt a sense of foreboding fill the air as the two men exchanged pleasantries before getting down to the business that she was most likely included in.

"I just came down to ask you a few questions Detective Lewis," Harvey informed her as he watched the young detective turn away from the photographs.

"By all means," she answered, "fire away."

"First thing is," Harvey stated in a straightforward tone, "there's been a lot of Internal Affairs investi-"

A knock came at the door and Harvey sighed audibly at the disruption. The door opened to reveal a petite woman with dark hair standing in the door frame. Detective Ramirez waved for Jim Gordon to come to her.

"There's a call for you," she informed him and hurried out of their view. Gordon silently excused himself from the two and followed his young detective out of the office.

"That was convenient," Bagheera announced as she looked over to Gotham's district attorney with raised brows. Her eyes sparkled with questions as she waited for his reply.

"I swear it wasn't me," he answered with a chuckle, in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere in which surrounded the two. Dent smiled as she gifted him with a nod, "Now as I was saying, there have been a lot of investigations from Internal Affairs in this station. I," he pointed at himself as his voice became slightly hardened, "was a part of those investigations. I don't like that Gordon has his own little group of ragtag detectives, especially detectives that I investigated personally. They even have a little name for me down there," he smiled at her as he watched one of her brows lift ever so slightly higher than the other, "They called me Two-Face."

"And why are you telling me this," Bagheera asked.

"I looked into you," he informed her, "You've had several IA investigations."

"I'm not a dirty cop," she answered quickly, her voice hardened at the insult that was being thrown at her.

"I wasn't saying you were."

"Then why bring it up Counselor," she asked quickly.

"What were the investigations over," he answered her question with another question. He smiled as he watched her cross her arms across her chest in growing annoyance at him.

"I shot a few people," Bagheera answered honestly, "I killed one man. It's a little different when a woman shoots and kills a man than when a man does it."

"There was another one that didn't cover any shootings that you were involved in," he informed her as he eyed her suspiciously.

"Well," she shrugged her shoulders, "I wouldn't know about that one."

He looked to the floor as her blue eyes seemed to brighten in anger from his probing questions and stated flatly, "It was about your parents."

Bagheera shook her head and said, "They were murdered when I was six."

"In front of you," he asked simply.

"Yes. Would you like to know where they had me hide too? I mean since you're asking already," her voice was laced with venom as she glared at him.

"Just two more," he informed her with a smile, "How'd you get it removed from your record that you were born and raised in Gotham?"

Her eyes widened at his straightforward question as she asked in defense, "How did you-"

"I was good at my job in Internal Affairs," he informed her with a smug smile, "What I couldn't find out was if you have anyone that connects you to Gotham?"

"No," Bagheera informed harshly as she bit at her inner cheek and glared at the arrogant attorney in front of her, "Anything else?"

Harvey Dent gave her a toothy grin and moved towards her door just as Gordon was coming back in. Gordon looked over to his new detective to see a look of distress upon her facial features.

"Is everything alright in here," he asked as he looked from his detective to the district attorney.

"Everything is just peachy," Bagheera answered with a cheery town as she allowed a smile to move across her face, "Mr. Dent and I were just introducing ourselves and exchanging pleasantries is all."

Harvey Dent smiled as he walked through the door frame, "I'll be seeing you Gordon, Detective Lewis."

"You have your first lead," Gordon informed her as Dent shut the door on them both.

Bagheera looked at him with a slightly confused look upon her face, "Already?"

"We're tracking your phone," he informed her as he pointed to the landline on her desk, "He wants to talk to you."

She turned away from Gordon and walked to her phone slowly. A chill moved through her body as she made picked the phone up and quickly place it to her ear. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves that were beginning to come unraveled.

"Is this Bagheeeeerraa," the Joker's voice asked in a sing song tone on the other end of the line.

"Yes," she answered softly, she hadn't expected his voice to be so deep and threatening.

"You don't miiinnd if I call you by your first name," he asked with a chuckle. A scream echoed in the background causing Bagheera to move the phone away from her ear momentarily.

"Oh I'm soorrrryyy," he sang aloud, "He was supposed to be dead," he screamed darkly but chuckles escaped him nonetheless.

"Where are you," Bagheera asked as she looked out the office window to the buildings around the police station.

The Joker chuckled loudly at her question.

"You contacted me," she informed him, her eyes moved over to Gordon who was nodding to her to continue the conversation.

"You know what is sssssoooooooo attractive about the tango," the Joker asked.

Bagheera's brows furrowed at his strange question, but she allowed a soft chuckle escape her that she knew the clown would be able to hear on the other end of the line, "I've never been big on dancing. Why don't you enlighten me?"

"Stalking," the Joker announced loudly into the phone as an uproarious laugh escaped his lungs, "it's a dance about stalking!"

"Are you stalking me Joker?"

His laugh echoed loudly through the phone. Bagheera pulled the phone away from her ear as his laughter boomed throughout the end of the line.

"No Baggyyy," he informed her between chuckles, "we are hunting!"

"So who is hunting who," she heard herself ask with a defiance tone in her voice.

"Well," the Joker's voice was dangerous, "we will soon find out."

"What do you-"

The phone clicked dead on the other side. Bagheera looked to her new boss. She took a deep breath. She had never expected to be thrown into the job this quickly.

"The trace," Bagheera asked as she looked towards the door.

"We got it," Detective Ramirez announced in a hurry.

"Where," Gordon asked.

"Gotham Heights Apartments," Ramirez informed them, "Apartment 207."

A look of confusion quickly crossed Bagheera's face as Gordon hurried towards the door. Cold fear rushed through her momentarily and a shiver ran down her spine as if the sharp winter wind had rushed over her body. The blood rushed out of her face as she stared down at the phone that she had held in her hands only in moments ago.

"Gordon," Bagheera said as she stayed in her place, fear evident in her voice. She watched as Gordon turned to her with a questioning look, her head was shaking in disbelief, "That's my apartment."

In all the time that she had been chasing violent criminals, not one had ever found out where she resided. The Joker had found where she lived in the few hours that she had been back in Gotham.

He was something that she had never faced before.

...

Bagheera watched as uniformed officers hurried to surround her apartment door. Her hands moved over her pocket to grace the keys that hid inside the dark folds of her pants. The land lord looked at the police with a look of horror at the upcoming mess that they would make of his apartment.

"What is going on," the landlord asked as he looked over to his new tenant.

"Nothing," Bagheera whispered as she moved to his side, "Just go back to your office Mr. Hudson. I can't promise that you'll be-"

"Drop your weapons," an officer yelled out as he busted down the door and was followed by several other officers into her apartment. She instinctively reached for her gun and followed suit into her apartment while leaving her land lord to run to the safety of his warm office.

Bagheera entered into her new apartment and the metallic smell of blood overwhelmed her senses. As she walked deeper into her new home, she could see bloody smeared on smiley faces painted upon her once clean walls. Red "HAHAHAHA"s painted over the bloody smiling faces. She felt her stomach sink to the lowest inch of her midsection as impending fear, a fear that she had never felt before on previous cases, bubbled inside of her. She had to control her nervous shaking as she looked at her once unsoiled home.

"On the ground," she heard an officer scream to a survivor. She turned to see a man in a cheap Halloween clown mask hurrying to fall on his knees. He dropped the gun to the floor and quickly placed his shaking hands above his head.

"Please," the masked man begged as the officers surrounded him with their guns aimed at his chest. Bagheera could hear the fearful quiver in the man's voice as she neared closer to him

"He made me come," the man cried as the officer pulled off of his mask to reveal the sandy blonde hair that belonged to that of a young college student.

Bagheera shook her head as she looked at the young man and said, "That's the electrician's son."

Gordon and Ramirez turned to the new detective with questioning looks.

"I saw him helping him this morning," she informed them as she moved away from the rest of the officers to investigate the rest of her ruined home.

"Where's your father," she heard Gordon ask of the frightened young man.

"He, he, he," the boy stammered, "He had the keys to get in. The Joker-"

"Are you sure it was him, son," a uniformed officer asked.

"Look around," Ramirez replied in an irritated manner, "Of course it was the Joker."

"Lieutenant," a uniformed officer announced from deeper within the apartment, "We have a situation in here."

Bagheera moved quickly with the sound of his voice that had come from her bedroom. She made her way inside the bedroom to see the bathroom light on. The smell of fresh blood tainted her senses. She could see the edges of a growing blood puddle moving towards the bathroom door.

"In here," the voice called out to her just as Gordon and Ramirez caught up to her.

Bagheera walked into the fluorescent light of her bathroom and felt her breath escape her at the ghastly scene that had been wrapped in blood just for her. Two men had been violently murdered in her own bathroom, blood seeped the grout of the tile and stained the white squares red. One man lay with his head against the bath tub, blood from under his cheap clown mask; a bloody happy face looked back up at her from the floor. Her fear-filled eyes moved to the next body that was closest to her that sat limp on her toilet seat. His cheap Halloween mask was covered in blood. A single hole in the middle of the mask's forehead was the kill shot that had ended the man's life. Blood ran down the man's body and dripped to the white tiled floor below his hand.

Her hand went to her lips as she looked to the mirror in the middle of the bathroom. Words looked back at her written in blood.

**JOIN THE PARTY? **

Gordon looked to his new detective and watched as a fearful shiver moved through her. He looked away from the bloody mess that the criminal mastermind had created in the small apartment. He observed the way that her eyes moved inside of their sockets at the bloodied words on the mirror.

"We'll get this cleaned up," he informed Bagheera, "Until then we'll get you a temp-"

"No," she said as she turned her attention back to Gordon, "He wants to dance, I'll dance," her voice cracked, revealing just how unnerved the Joker had made her by invading her privacy, "I'm not going to let this man win."

"He's not your run of the mill criminals," Gordon informed her quickly, his voice was filled with concern. He watched as she looked back down at the men that had been murdered by the man that was paying their salary. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Has he ever done anything like this to any of you," she asked softly as she turned to Ramirez and Gordon.

Gordon looked away from her and sighed.

"No," Ramirez answered honestly, "Nothing like this. Now," she took Bagheera by her upper arm and escorted her out of the bathroom, "we're going to take you back to the precinct and straighten everything up here."

"I don't want to hide," Bagheera informed Ramirez, her voice was hard but ready to crack from the sense of overwhelming dread and fear that swam inside of her. She held in the fear, she wasn't going to allow her new partners to see her crack under new pressures. She had never been placed in a situation where the criminal had the upper hand. She had been given dumb criminals, lower level Dixie Mafia affiliates, and the occasional serial killer that had been begging to be captured. She had never chased after someone that seemed to be as cunning at the clown that she was after now.

"You won't be hiding," Ramirez informed her as they exited the apartment. "You'll be under watch, but not hiding."

The detective's words landed on deaf ears as Bagheera's mind raced to the message that had been left on her bathroom mirror. He had asked her to join the party. Her heart pounded in her chest from the unknown. This was her first big case and she had gone at the Joker in the wrong way. She had been dismissive and had doubted how far he would go and he went through her front door and into her bathroom without a moment's hesitation.

A loud ringing interrupted her thoughts and brought her back to reality. Bagheera turned back to Gordon who was answering his phone.

"Gordon," she heard him say.

"What?"

Bagheera and Ramirez looked at him with concern as his face seemed to lose its fleshy pink color in front of them.

"The son of a bitch got him," Gordon informed them, "I have to get to the mayor's office," he hurried past the two detectives and rushed towards his car, his coat tail flailed in the Gotham wind as he ran.

He turned quickly before entering his car and yelled, "Ramirez, you get back to the station. I need someone there in my place."

...

Bagheera sat at her desk as she delved into the Joker files that had been given to her. Her mind was on a race to find connections and key points that could lead her to his next plan of attack on the city of Gotham. His pictures glared back at her from every wall in her new office.

"Come join the party," she whispered to herself.

She pushed herself away from the desk and attempted to brush the stress off of her shoulders as she walked around her small office. Wayne Tower loomed over her like a ruling king as she looked out the window. She recalled looking out at small buildings in the smaller cities that she had been commissioned to work in before being sent to Gotham City in an attempt to be rid of her in her last assignment.

"Detective Lewis," Ramirez's voice broke into her silence.

Bagheera turned quickly to see the young woman standing in her door way.

"You need to see this," Ramirez informed her, "Now."

Bagheera allowed a brow to move slightly as she watched the woman walk away from her without explanation. She followed the woman carefully and noticed as the many men and women that worked in the office gathered around the television set. She made her way to the forefront of the group and watched the news anchor reveal that they would soon be seeing disturbing footage.

"Are you the real Batman," the Joker asked as his camera jiggled in his hands as a bound man dressed as Batman sat in front of him on the floor in a meat locker.

"No," the man answered quickly.

"No," the Joker said with a tone of a child disappointed that he couldn't ride his favorite ride for the sixth time.

"No."

"No," the Joker said again just as a fit of giggles over took him.

Bagheera shook her head, familiar dread moved through her bones as she watched the trapped man's reactions.

"Then why do you dress like him," the Joker screamed, his voice was ferocious and monstrous in Bagheera's ears as he yanked the flimsy Batman mask off of the captured victim. She shook her head and looked to the ground, her hands sat on her hips. Her posture screamed defeat as she continued listening to the video.

"He's a symbol," the man informed the clown over the fit of giggles, "He's a symbol that we don't have to be afraid of scum like you."

Bagheera looked back up at the television. Deep inside of her, she hoped that this was a different man and not the man that had been flung from the roof of the mayor's office.

"Yeah Brian, you do," the Joker answered as he placed his gloved hands on the man's shoulders and heads, "You really do! Yeah," his voice was almost animalistic in that moment as Bagheera listened to the clown go from brutal to childlike in an instant by brushing the sides of Brian's cheeks, all the while knowing it was a terror trick, "So you think Batman has made Gotham a better place?"

Joker playfully slapped Brian's cheeks as the man sobbed on the camera. Bagheera shook her head at the brutality that she was witnessing.

"Look at me," the Joker demanded, but the man refused.

Bagheera jumped as the Joker's deep voice billowed out the demand again in an almost demonic tone. The shaking camera made her feel sick in her stomach as she forced herself to continue watching. The camera panned back to the Joker and he gave the audience a small smile.

"You see," the Joker announced to his viewing audience, "this is how craazzzzyy Batman has made Gotham! You want order in Gotham, Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in to that new detective sent to bring me in," she shook her head at the Joker's demand and she felt eyes fall on her at the mad man's sudden demand, " Oh! And every day he doesn't, people will die starting tonight. I'm a man of my word."

Bagheera watched as the camera panned away from the smiling Joker who had suddenly dropped the camera to the floor. She could hear the man's frightened screams and the Joker's manic laughter.

"You better get to work, Baggy," she heard him say through his laughter and over Brian's blood curdling screams.

The party that the Joker had invited her to was one where she was supposed to bring the Batman as the VIP.

* * *

**Kind of short and sweet little chapter to delve into Bagheera and what will unfold in her future.**

**What do you think? I can't exactly remember how I went from point A to point B with my original story so it may take me a little while to write these chapters because my original story was horribly written!**

**Reviews are the greatest! :)**


	3. First Encounter

**Chapter 3: First Encounter**

**Lots of action in this chapter. I hope you like it :)**

* * *

Days had passed in silence for residents of Gotham City. The Joker had not made a single move. People were getting anxious. Rumors spread like wildfire that the Joker had been finally taken out by a mobster looking to gain some extra cash in their bank account. Jim Gordon and his detectives remained on edge as they waited for the next move in the clown's strange, little game. Autumn leaves fluttered to the ground from the trees, a harsh reminder to the restless law enforcement of Gotham that life was still moving forward even if a criminal had taken a few days off. The newspapers had decided to not focus on Harvey Dent's ability to lock up half of the mob, but instead they chose to focus on Bagheera Lewis. Falsified stories about her past made the bottom half of the top page under the headlines about the Joker's time off. The stories stated that she had slept with her professors to graduate, she had been the offspring of poor white trash parents that was on the fast track to become a new, real life Clarice Starling, and that she was the one detective that did not have the skills to catch the lowest of scum that resided in the Narrows. Pictures of her apartment had been leaked to the press. Questions rose within the public about her ability to protect the city when the Joker had entered her home and murdered his own men inside her home. If she couldn't protect herself and her home how was she protect the citizens of Gotham?

Bagheera Lewis found herself moving on the outskirts of Bruce Wayne's large party. She did not wear a formal gown to the gala as Bruce Wayne's invitation had asked of her only days before. The invitation had arrived at her desk, seemingly out of the blue. It stated that, at the request of Bruce Wayne, he would like her to join the party to welcome her to the city of Gotham and congratulate her on the opportunity to take down one of the biggest threats that had hit Gotham City recently. She wore no fancy jewelry and her hair was clipped up against the base of her head, her composure was professional. She wore plain black shoes that were comfortable enough to run in in case she needed to pursue a criminal running on foot.

The Gotham elite looked her over as she walked passed them in her simple attire. Their eyes moved from her ironed black pants and starched white button up shirt and then stopped at her weapon that rested like the baby that she had decided that she would never have on her hip. She kept a watchful eye out for men that seemed out of place at the party. Her bright blue eyes kept close watch on the waiters and waitresses that scurried from the large ball room and back into the kitchen. The Joker had told her to join the party, and here she was at the party.

"Where are you," she whispered under her breath. She looked around to make sure that no one had overheard her talk to herself.

"And how are you enjoying yourself Detective Lewis," an almost fatherly voice asked of her.

Bagheera turned slightly and smiled as the butler handed her a glass of white wine. Her smile was genuine as the butler gave her a warm smile that reminded her of her own grandfather before he had passed away into the afterlife.

She took the glass and said, "I shouldn't have this," she motioned at the wine, "being technically on duty," she gave him a larger smile and asked, "You're Mr. Wayne's butler? I'm sorry I never caught your name."

"Alfred," he answered with a curt nod of his head. He started to walk away as someone waved for him to bring a glass, but Bagheera quickly stopped him by placing her hand upon his elbow.

"They are looking at me like I have two heads," she confided as she took a small sip of the drink that he had handed her, "I feel so out of place."

"It may," Alfred said with a knowing grin, "if I may, have to do with what you are wearing around that hip of yours."

She eyed him with a sparkle in her eyes as she added, "So, is there any one at this party that could be hiding secrets that I should know about?"

Alfred chuckled and began to walk away as he said, "Oh, you have no idea."

The young detective downed her drink for courage just as a loud beating sound entered the grand hall. She looked up over the crowd to see a helicopter beginning its descent onto the landing paddock. She began circling the crowd once again, as if she were a lioness on the prowl looking for the lame wildebeest. The staff met her suspicious glances with go to hell looks as she moved through the crowd as the handsome billionaire playboy entered the building through the large glass doors with three beautiful women by his side.

"I'm sorry that I'm late," Bruce announced to his guests, "I'm glad to see that you all got started without me," he walked to the middle of the large room and glanced through his guests, "Now, where is Harvey? Where," he smiled and clapped his hands together as a smile grew across his face as Harvey moved forward, "Harvey Dent, the man of the hour. And where is Rachel Dawes?"

Bagheera's eyes moved across the inner circle of the crowd as a handsome woman moved regally towards Harvey Dent.

"She is my oldest friend," Bruce Wayne explained, "Come here. You know when Rachel told me she was dating Harvey Dent, I said 'that guy from those god awful campaign commercials'? _I believe in Harvey Dent."_

The crowd laughed at the playboy's joke. Bagheera kept her eyes on guard for suspicious behavior as Bruce continued on about the district attorney that had been rather blunt with her on their first meeting. She continued making her round about the group of elites as he continued on with his praises of the district attorney. She couldn't help but roll her eyes when he did not mention her or the work that the Gotham Police Department had put in in hopes of catching the Joker soon.

"I believe in Harvey Dent," Bruce announced as he caught sight of Bagheera in the background in her plain clothes, "I believe in Gotham PD and I believe in this new detective that has been brought into our city. I believe that Detective Bagheera Lewis," Bruce stopped with a chuckle as he held his hand out to her, "which why haven't you changed your name yet?"

The crowd laughed at his joke at her expense. She couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes as the crowd suddenly turned towards her.

"I believe that she will be the one to bring in the Joker," Bruce informed the group.

"Yeah," a man billowed enthusiastically from the large crowd.

"I believe that under these two that Gotham can feel a little safer," Bruce said, "a little more optimistic. Look at these faces."

Bagheera felt the eyes move from her to Dent and she felt a relief move from her as the attention moved away from her. She had had enough of her fame in Gotham via the tabloids and the newspaper to last a lifetime; she didn't need the elites looking down on her at the request of Gotham's richest elite.

"These two faces are Gotham's bright future," Bruce announced and the partygoers clapped at his speech and sipped at their wine.

...

"Lieutenant," Ramirez said as she hurried after Gordon, "That Joker card pinned to the body? Forensics found three sets of DNA."

"Any matches," Jim Gordon asked as he continued to walk through the corridor.

"All three," she answered, "The DNA belongs to Judge Cerillo, Harvey Dent, and the Commissioner."

"Bagheera was right," Gordon informed her as he recalled his new detectives warning, "The Joker is telling us who he is targeting. Get a unit over to Cerillo's house; tell her to get Dent and Bagheera from that party. Have her get them both to safety. Where is the Commissioner?"

"City Hall."

"Seal the building," he demanded, "Let no one in or out 'til I get there."

"Got it," she answered as she hurried away from him to do as he ordered.

...

Bagheera's phone rang. Her partner's name looked back at her as she looked at the caller ID on the front. She quickly answered her phone and looked around her quickly.

"Lewis," she answered quickly.

"Where are you," Ramirez's voice asked with a hint of panic laced within it.

"At Bruce Wayne's party," she answered as she moved away from the guests and into a darkened hallway for privacy.

"Do you see Dent," Ramirez asked harshly.

"He's here," she answered, her voice hastened, "What happened?"

Fingers grabbed her shoulder and pulled her backwards. She reached for her pistol, but her eyes met with the dark eyes of the mysterious vigilante of Gotham. Her heart raced as she looked into his eyes with her bright blue eyes.

"Harvey is a target," Batman said in a deep, hoarse voice.

"The Joker," she began, but the masked vigilante pulled her deeper into the hallway. She watched with wide eyes as he pressed a button and a hidden hatch opened.

"This will take you downstairs," he informed her, "Take care of any of the ones that escape."

"But what about the Jo-"

The secret door closed on her and hidden lights appeared to show her the way down the hidden staircase just as a shot from a shot gun rang through the room filled with guests. Bagheera stood behind the doors listening closely to what was to unfurl.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen," she heard the Joker announce to the room full of rich Gothamites.

She closed her eyes, wishing that she could figure out how to get the secret door back open so she could capture the Joker like she had been assigned to do. She moved slowly back from the door and forced herself forward, but there was no movement from the door.

"Shit," she whispered under her breath just as the sound of something metal hitting the ground rang out.

"We are tonight's entertainment," she heard the clown announce. She closed her eyes and groaned. She wanted to see this. She wanted to see him. She had to actually see the clown in action. He had surprised her by being so bold. He had been different from the other criminals and she wanted, she needed to see him in the flesh.

"I only have one question," the Joker announced to the crowd as he scanned the many faces for the face that he wanted at the moment, "Where is Harvey Dent?"

"You know where Harvey is," he asked as he went from person to person, "Do you know who he is? Do you know where I can find Harvey? I need to talk to him about something, just something little, hmm?"

"No," he asked in annoyance as he looked around the crowd, "You know I'll settle for his loved ones? Even that little detective that's after me? Rumor is none of you like her anyways? Why not just hand her over to me?"

Bagheera closed her eyes at the mention of herself by the mass murderer on the other side of the wall. She wondered how easily this town would hand her over to the mad man on a silver platter if they thought it would save them.

"We're not intimidated by thugs," she heard a new voice speak out in defiance.

"Stupid," she whispered to herself as she listened closely.

"You know," the Joker announced, "You remind me of my father," he grabbed the man violently by his head, his knife was instantly at the man's mouth as if it appeared like magic, "I HATED my father," his words were harsh and dangerous.

"Okay, stop," Rachel Dawes demanded from somewhere in the crowd.

Bagheera felt a strange tug inside of her that told her to make her move, to hurry to the main floor to stop the Joker during his escape if the Batman failed to bring him in. She took a deep breath. She didn't want the Batman to bring him in; she wanted to be the hero. Her vanity and pride were eating her up inside as she thought about the Batman ordering her to do something.

"Well helllooo beautiful," she heard the Joker announce. He had used the same childish voice that he had used when he had talked to her on the telephone days ago.

"You must be Harvey's squeeze," the Joker said as he sashayed towards her, "and you are beautiful."

Bagheera leaned closer to the door as silence invaded the party. Curiosity had gotten the better of her as she leaned her body against the barrier that kept her from placing her gun against the clown's head and arresting him. She needed to hear him speak. She needed to know just who this criminal mastermind was and how he thought to help herself put him away.

"You look nervous," she heard the Joker say to Rachel Dawes, "Is it the scars? You want to know how I got them?"

Bagheera allowed her brows to lift ever so slightly as she awaited his story, which she knew would be complete bullshit.

"So I had a wife," he said with a false lilt of sadness, "beautiful, like you. Who tells me you worry too much. Who tells me I oughtta smile more. Who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks. One day they carve her face like this."

She knew that the Joker was referencing his own scars and she looked to the floor. She had wondered, late at night while she lay in a half sleeping state on her couch, how he had gotten his scars. She had asked Gordon and he had told her that there had been several different stories floating in the rumor mill about them. There simply wasn't an answer to explain the strange stranger.

"We have no money for surgeries," the Joker continued, "She can't take it. I just want to see her smile again. I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars. Sooo, I stick a razor in my mouth and do this to myself. And you know what," his voice took a dangerous, bitter tone, "she can't stand the sight of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling."

Bagheera heard the sounds of fighting and she pushed herself away from the door. She could hear the Joker talking to the Batman, but she ignored it as she forced herself to run down the long, dark corridor of stairs.

As she hurried down the stairs, the absence of sound pushed her legs to move faster. Her heart pounded like tom toms inside of her chest as she picked up her pace down the stairs. Her hand quickly moved to her holster as she came upon a door. Two small black buttons were placed beside the lining of the hidden doors. She quickly pressed both buttons with her shaking fingers. Her other hand quickly pulled her pistol from its holster on her hips as the door quickly opened to reveal henchmen disguised in clown masks running with the Joker in front of them.

"Freeze," she screamed as she hurried into the lobby. The floor was polished shiny and a large chandelier hung from the high ceiling. She stopped the shaking from her hand as the adrenaline rushed through her. Sweat beaded above her brows as she aimed the gun at a group of armed men that outnumbered her. Her bright eyes moved away from the man in the purple jacket to a man that held a scared teenage girl against her will.

"Don't move," she demanded once again as she watched the Joker turn towards her and smile.

"Well hellooo beautiful," the Joker said with a little skip in his step as he waved his gun about, "What is a gal like you doing in hole like this? This just is not your," he purred as he pointed to her with a sly smile, "scene Detective."

"I said don't move," she demanded, her bright eyes never left his as she ignored his words, "I don't want to shoot any of you. I'm not a very good shot."

The Joker giggled at her own little joke and watched as her hand remained steady with her aim towards him and his henchmen.

"Baggy," the Joker said with a hint of dejection in his voice as he looked towards his henchmen, "I really would like to chat, buuut," he turned with a flourish that allowed his purple coat tails to dance in the air, "I really need to get going," he pointed to the girl and added, "I really have younger berries to pluck."

Bagheera moved closer to the Joker, closing the small distance that he had created for them. The Joker backed away from her, ignoring the gun. He smiled at her as he watched her holster on her hips move with each step she took towards him. His henchmen stood behind him, anxious to get out of the crime scene.

"Don't take the girl," she demanded as she shook her head.

"Ohhh don't you seeeee," he asked with a chuckle, "she's just an experiment," he popped the t, "I want to see how long it takes for Stockholm Syndrome to kick in."

Shots rang out around Bagheera and she quickly pointed her gun away from the Joker and towards the henchman that was firing at her. She shot twice and watched as one man fell to the ground and the others hurried towards the exit. The detective could hear the man moan from the marbled ground.

"You fucking shot me you stupid bitch," she heard him moan over the blasting bullets that had never been intended for her.

Bagheera heard a large thud from above her and watched as shards of glass from the chandelier from the high ceiling disconnected from its base and fell to the floor causing smaller chards of glass to fly into the air from impact on the hard ground. Bagheera backed up quickly as small shards flew at her. Her hands moved in front of her eyes for protection just as the shots ceased. The kidnapped girl screamed and the Joker laughed uncontrollably as he watched the detective move away from the falling chandelier pieces.

She looked up with small cuts on her chin and right cheek with a deeper cut above her right brow. Blood drizzled slowly down the arch of her brow as she stumbled forward.

"Catch ya later Baggyyy," she heard the Joker sing out to her as he left the building with the young girl in tow. She took a deep breath and pushed herself forward, her gun tight in her grip as she moved after the clown and his goons.

Her eyes were wide as she came to the busy night street just as the Joker hopped into an old black van. He smiled at her and as he watched her lift the gun.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you," he asked as he raised his own gun and shot.

Bagheera reacted quickly and shot just as a soaring pain entered her right shoulder blade. The impact took her breath away and pulled her off of her balance. Dizziness fell over her mind as she looked up to the dark Gotham sky from the dirty, concrete sidewalk; not a star blinked back at her in reassurance that life was better somewhere else as she looked heavenward. She could hear the van's engine jumping forward in haste, the wheels screeched as the clown and his goons made their escape. Bagheera took a deep breath as a couple came to rescue. She couldn't hear what they had said, but she allowed her free arm to move toward the area where she had been shot. A cold anger passed over her as she felt underneath her shirt. A tender whelp touched her fingers and she tried to stifle a soft chuckle.

The Joker had shot her with a bingbag like bullet. He hadn't tried to kill her. In the back of her mind his sing song voice reminded her that he would _catch her later._

* * *

**And so we have the first actual encounter with Bagheera and Joker. What do you think? **

**What about the young girl that the Joker kidnapped?**

**Reviews are always great! **

**(I'm thinking Dr. Crane may make an appearance in the next chapter if I can fit him in)**


	4. Good Cop

**Chapter 4: A Good Cop**

"Well, you don't need stitches," the paramedic said as he patted the small gash just above Bagheera's eye, "and there's no shards left," his eyes moved to her bare shoulder and added, "It's going to bruise badly. It's going to be sore."

"But I'll be able to move it, right," Bagheera asked as her blue eyes moved around to the broken chandelier. A small smile tugged at her lips as she watched the small owner of the large building screaming at his poor workers to get everything cleaned before the guests came rushing down the stairs in hordes.

"Should be," the medic informed her as he squeezed antibacterial cream upon her facial cuts, "Though I recommend that you do take it easy with that arm. You were really luck-"

"What happened here," the sound of Gordon's tired, annoyed voice interrupted as he hurried towards Bagheera, "Where's Dent?"

"He's safe," Bagheera answered as Gordon stopped in front of her to assess her wounds, she glanced to the paramedic, "Can you give us a minute?"

The paramedic nodded and pulled himself from their view. Bagheera watched as the exhausted man shook his head. She watched as his tired eyes moved from the gashes on her face to the large mark on her shoulder.

"What happened," Gordon asked.

"I'm fine," she answered, "and I _will _be fine. He shot me with a damned bean bag bullet."

"He got away," he asked, his voice was low and defeated.

She bit at her lip and nodded, "I got a shot off first. I think I hit him. I shot one of his henchmen. They've taken him to the hospital to get the bullet out then he's going to be questioned."

Gordon nodded at her explanation. He turned away from her to help with the mess that the Joker had made.

"Lieutenant," she stated flatly and watched as he turned back to her, "I want to talk to that girl's parents."

Jim Gordon shook his head at her request and said, "I want you to go home. Get some rest, prop up that arm. I'll send Ramirez and another officer to break the news."

Bagheera looked down at her own hands as regret and a sense of shame fell over her as she thought about the young girl in the pretty dress being taken away by the Joker and his henchmen.

"I'll have my cell," she called out to Gordon as he walked away from her, leaving her alone inside of the ambulance. She looked around her as the Gotham wind blew around her; a shiver went through her as she watched officers speak with guests and civilians taking quick glances to the mess that had been left over. In that moment an intense feeling of loneliness came over her as she watched the lives of random Gothamites intertwine.

...

The Joker sat in his small room alone on his unmade bed with needle and thread in his hand as he finished with the remaining stitches in his shoulder. Chuckles escaped him as he stitched his bloody skin together again. Bagheera's bullet sat bloody and forgotten on the side of the bedside table that sat beside him. His jacket lay forgotten on his bed. Make up stained the pillow cover and the blankets stretched towards the floor as if they were trying to crawl away from the bed in disgust that the Joker had decided to make them touch his body while he slept.

The air around him was rancid from trash from the streets that made up the interior of the Narrows, the smell of medical alcohol and peroxide mixed with his own blood wafted towards his nose. The sepia walls were bare, except for a few hanging wires and remaining nails for picture frames, a few bullet holes that had went through the brain matter and bone of those previous owners, along with blood stains that had been a bitch for his henchmen to get out. The carpeted floors were bare, dust collected in the corner from months without being touched by a vacuum cleaner. The only furniture that existed within his small space was his bed, the small table that sat adjacent to the bed, and a small dresser that the previous owner's had left behind after their quick departure. A single window existed within the room that allowed him a view of Gotham City. His bedroom connected to a personal bathroom that still remained fully furnished with supplies. His door remained closed and locked from his henchman as he had performed his own surgery to remove _his _detective's bullet.

He cackled as he cut the twine that he had used to stitch himself up with. He threw the scissors to the side and jumped to his feet. The Joker smiled wide in anticipation as the girl's screams echoed throughout the small hideout that he and his goons had obtained. Giddiness bubbled inside of his stomach as he looked out the window and to the sparkling lights of Gotham that seemed to blink as a welcoming invitation.

The Joker smiled as he thought of Detective Bagheera Lewis shooting him. No one in the Gotham Police Department had been able to do it. He had underestimated her and it filled him with great joy. He was going to enjoy playing games with the little detective.

"Ooohh," he announced as a vibration rumbled down his thigh and he shivered in an overdramatic fashion, he chuckled as his hand pulled an old cellphone out of his pants pocket. He looked around him and asked suspiciously, "Yeah?"

"The target has just been dropped off," a woman on the other end of the line informed him, her accent screamed inner city gang banger in his ear, "They changed the locks as was expected. You still want me to stand guard?"

The Joker smiled and sighed into his cell phone at the girl's question.

"Make sure she stays aahhh-live. The only one hurting a single, lil hair on her head is gonna be me. Anyone else will take a dive with the fishes," he chuckled at his warning, "and they'll be connected to a cement block that will be attached to your baby sister!"

His laughter was erratic at his warning to the woman on the other end of the line as he hung the phone up quickly. He felt as if his ribs were going to crack from the amount of laughter and enjoyment that he received from the detective's situation.

The Joker smiled as he thought of his plan for Detective Bagheera Lewis and her pretty blue eyes. Being shot by a young, female detective wasn't good for the power dynamics in Gotham City and he was going up against some pretty big fish like the mob and the Batman.

He'd get to the little detective and the young girl was going to be his next card to play. His cards were going to be shown soon, but he didn't want the world to know who is favorite, hidden cards in the deck were going to be. He had to have some ace in the holes and Bagheera Lewis was going to be one of them whether she liked it or not.

He laughed as he turned away from the window and rushed towards the door to meet with his young prisoner. The girl's screams brought him more pleasure with each step he took in her direction.

...

Bagheera looked out her bedroom window; Gotham City's large buildings flickered with lights that never turned off. The breeze wafted in the stale smell of the city into her bedroom and the softness blew a loose strand of hair as she gazed into the shiny skyline of the night. She sighed as a light pain moved through her with every small movement that she made. She still remained in her day clothes as the midnight hour struck, her white shirt that was once neat was wrinkled and untucked, her hair was loose and strands fell from her simple updo. The sounds of the city never ceased and helped remind her that there were people still living and that she was never truly alone in the large city of crime.

'_You need to talk to him' _the voice in the back of her mind reminded her, '_He's your only connection to Gotham.'_

"I can't let them know," she whispered aloud as she answered herself. Ever since she was little, she knew that answering her own mind had seemed like something the insane would do, but it helped her answer the hard questions that she faced in life. It was a habit that she had gained just after her parents were murdered and she was left an orphan. The other habit she had long ago forgotten. She would run her hand through her hair when she was in a stressful situation. The last time she had noticed herself performing the habit had been when she was under investigation by IAB.

'_Who? The Batman? Gordon?"_

She ignored her own mind's voice and moved away from the window quickly. With each step she took, the pain slowly rippled throughout her from her shoulder. She hissed for only a moment as she came to her bed where her cell phone and pistol lay carelessly on the comforter. The gun remained loaded and the cell phone was updating several old games and apps that she had installed in between major cases or while at the airport waiting for a plane.

Bagheera looked around her bedroom. It was cold. No warmth from the heart came from the small room. The only pictures she had was of her parents on their wedding day, a family photo were she was smiling obnoxiously with missing teeth while both her parents smiled with pride, and a photo of her graduating Gotham City High with one of her oldest friends, Angela Rainey. The walls were bare and small stains from the previous tenant's picture frames remained on the plain wall. The queen sized bed was new along with the plain grey comforter set that lay atop the mattress. She glanced over to the adjoining bathroom where two men had been murdered by the Joker and she shook her head. She had spent all that night scrubbing at the floors to remove the blood while reporters hung around outside to snag a quick picture of her to boost newspaper and magazine sales. Her small apartment was cold and held no comfort or happy memories within the walls. The noises of Gotham moved through her open window.

"_What are you doing here? Gotham doesn't need you. They will feed you to the wolves. They will crucify you. You aren't some rich elitist or a mad clown."_

"I need to get to work," she whispered to herself as she pushed herself away from the bed and walked out of her bedroom. She moved towards the television set and turned it on for the white noise of the news.

She moved to sit at her small desk in the corner of the living room while the talking heads on the television program talked of the day's most pressing news, which was of the Joker and his kidnapping. She ignored the news anchors talking about her.

"Can Gotham's newest detective be able to bring in the Joker where Lieutenant Gordon and the Batman have failed," an anchor asked as he began his nightly report, "Some sources say yes. An anonymous informant sent us video footage of the showdown between the Joker and Detective Lewis."

"So much for only fifteen minutes of fame," she whispered as she looked down at the photographs of the Joker. She moved through the many written interviews that police had with the living victims of the killer clown. Words like "_insane", "deranged", "crazy clown", "cheap suit", _and "_murderous smile"_ repeated over and over in the police files. In only ten minutes of re-reading the material that Gordon had bequeathed to her, she felt her eyes begging to pop out of her eyes. Her hands moved across a photocopy of a psychiatrist's opinion on the Joker. The writing was flowy as if a woman had written the opinion.

"The Joker, from archival footage," Bagheera read aloud to herself, "seems to suffer from a manic state of depression probably evolved from severe scarring to the face, delusions of grandeur, and likely a form of anti-social personality disorder described by several stories of the victims. This diagnosis is in no way permanent and only based on given evidence from the Gotham City PD. More will be known if the criminal known as the Joker if he is captured alive and sent to Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane."

Bagheera rolled her eyes and shook her head as she whispered to herself while looking down at his photograph from a bank heist, "They think you are crazy."

Her blue eyes narrowed as she stared at the photograph, "What makes them think that you-"

A thud erupted inside her small apartment.

"Shit," she whispered to herself as she quickly pushed herself away from the small desk and made her way silently towards her bedroom where the noise originated. She entered her dark room quietly; her footing showed a person with police procedural skills that had been perfected over many experiences. Bagheera kept her back towards the wall as her blue eyes adjusted to the darkened room. She quickly, but silently, made her way to the bed and grabbed her pistol. She held the cold weapon with a firm grip as she made her way to the bathroom where a scurrying noise sounded from.

"This is Detective Lewis. I have a pistol in hand. Come out with your hands up," she said in a practiced tone, calmness and authority echoed in her voice with the order along with a small hint of an accent that she had acquired from her various positions in the southern United States.

She moved quickly to push the bathroom door open, but the lights turned on as if on their own accord. She turned quickly with her pistol to see a dark figure coming at her quickly. She fought the man in black. She jerked her arms furiously as the costumed man gripped her strong arm in a python like manner. Her lips clenched as she fought against the masked vigilante of Gotham, her heart beat as adrenaline rushed through her veins.

"Stop fighting," the Batman warned as he pushed her into the wall and shook her wrist. He waited with a hard gaze. Brown eyes met vibrant blues as he waited for her hand to go limp and release her grip on her gun.

"You're hurting me," she said in an angered hiss as she forced herself to release her grip on her weapon. She watched him carefully; her brain was waiting for the opportune moment to strike against the unwanted visitor. She bit at her lip as she felt him let go of her left wrist, allowing her to be able to strike easily against her assailant.

"Are you in the mob's pocket," he asked, his voice was scratchy and deep.

"No," she answered, her tone was flat with a hint of anger.

"Then why did you let the Joker go," Batman asked of the detective.

"Why didn't you catch him AHH," she hissed as her intruder squeezed tighter on her wrist. She took a deep breath as he loosened his grip on her wrist momentarily, "Where were you? Off saving damsels in distress?"

He seemed to growl at her as he glared into her eyes as if he were searching into her soul for answers as to who she was. He ripped the gun away from her and threw it back onto her bed where it landed without incident.

Bagheera took that moment to strike while he was preoccupied with her seen weapon. Her free hand hurried behind her back and under her blouse where she had a hidden pistol tucked into her pants. She smiled almost fiendishly as he turned back to face her as she held the business end of the weapon under his chin.

"Let me go," she said as her brow lifted ever so slightly, her eyes never blinked as she glared at the infamous Batman, the man that sent most criminals into a panic, "Now," the hammer clicked into place as she signaled to him that he was in a situation where he had underestimated her and allowed her to have the upper hand, to have an ace in the hole. Bagheera smiled as he freed her wrist from his vice grip.

"Thank you, Mr. Wayne," she said with a knowing smile. The detective smiled as she watched the famous billionaire's brown eyes widen at the sound of his name. She couldn't help but allow a chuckle to escape her as he backed away from her slightly in disbelief.

"It really wasn't that hard Mr. Wayne," she informed him, "and to show you that I mean you no harm, I'm going to put my weapon away," she placed her weapon back into its perfect hiding spot, "It really wasn't that hard to find out that it was you to be honest."

"How," he asked, shock was evident in his voice as he looked over the woman that he had severely underestimated.

"It's not random that one of the richest men in Gotham would come to the police station and have a chance encounter with a new detective that has been given the Joker as her case," Bagheera answered with a shrug of her shoulder, a smile tugged at her lips as she looked at him, "The Batman hasn't caught him. Gotham PD hasn't caught him. You came to check me out, find out who I was. Rather convenient of you to throw me into a hidden room in your penthouse, but," she shook her head at the seemingly obvious, "The Batman has wonderful toys, _expensive_ toys…and who is the man that can buy those toys? It wasn't hard."

He eyed her, disbelief still cast over his person. He shook his head; he couldn't form words from the sudden shock that his identity had been so easily realized.

She smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders casually, "I'm a good cop. I was an honors graduate in psychology and criminology. I'm good at what I do," she smiled and admitted, "well most of the time. I was on the way to being a trainee at Quantico with a future in Behavioral Science, but that shooting incident occurred and no one wanted to touch me with a ten foot pole," her eyes lowered from the caped crusader and her voice lowered an octave, "My career ended before it even took off. I am a good cop. I'm an honest one."

Bagheera eyed him carefully and nodded with a whispered, "Your secret is safe with me, Mr. Wayne."

"The Joker," he started in an effort to change the subject. His eyes radiated worry, but a flicker of hope remained that he could trust her.

"He'll make contact," she said in an informative manner. Her shoulders squared as she entered her professional mode of life.

"He's going to kill the girl," Batman asked.

"I don't think so," she answered, "But I have been proven wrong before. She's just random."

"Nothing about the Joker is random."

"No? What makes you think that," she asked, "Everything that he does is on a whim. He took the girl because she was in grabbing distance."

"Why not take Rachel Dawes," he asked, his voice was still deep.

"Why risk taking a political body," she stated, "Taking her would end him quicker than taking this young girl. Who cares about a random girl? You take the district attorney's girlfriend, you take the richest man in Gotham's best friend, and you are looking to be arrested. He's not going to risk freedom for the ADA. It's not worth it."

"He's going to come after you."

"Funny," she answered with a forced chuckle, "I was going to tell you the same thing," she shook her head and walked towards the window to look into the darkness, "Right now you and I are his biggest threat to freedom that allows him to destroy everything in his path."

She turned to face him only to see an empty bedroom once again. She shook her head as she looked over to the place where the caped crusader had stood. The familiar haunting sensation of loneliness came over her once again. The detective ran her hand through her hair and sighed. Her heart had yet to stop pumping hard from the adrenaline of going nose to nose with the Batman. Her left hand moved to her right wrist and caressed it softly. She was thankful that he had not cracked the bones inside of her thin wrist.

A ringing came from her cell phone that still lay on the bed. She moved toward it and grabbed it from the bed. Gordon's name reflected back at her.

"Lewis," she answered after the second ring.

"I called to make sure that you are resting," she heard his concerned voice on the other end of the line ask.

"I had a visitor," she informed him as she moved to grab a jacket out of her closet in the corner of the bedroom. She closed the window before she moved towards the bedroom door to leave.

"The Joker," his voice was rigid and full of worry.

"No," she answered as she pulled the jacket carefully on, a pain surged through her and she tried to ignore it while she was on the phone, "Your friend, the Batman."

"Did he tell you anything?"

"No," she answered, "I told him a few things. One of which was that I was a good cop," she opened the door to her apartment and locked it from the outside with her keys, "I can't help but think that he asked that on your behalf, what with you two being all buddy buddy and all."

"Bagheera," he said with an almost fatherly tone, "I never once doubted your honesty. I'm going to trust you until you have proven otherwise."

She smiled as she walked to the black town car that the police station had allowed her to use. She carefully placed herself inside of the car and pulled her seat belt on, though she did not start the car.

"I'm fine," she said after his moment of silence, "to answer your previous question."

"You've been putting ice on it like the paramedic said," he asked.

Bagheera sighed at his father like tone and lied, "Yeah. It's all good. I was just getting ready to go to bed actually."

"Well I was just calling to check up on you," he informed her, "so I'll just let you go."

"Thank you," she answered as she looked into the distance.

"Goodnight Detective."

"Good night Lieutenant," she replied softly and dismissed the call just before she started her car. The car purred into action and she placed it into gear and sped down the road.

"Arkham Asylum," she whispered to herself as she set her course for the old asylum in the deepest section of the Narrows, "here I come."


	5. Puttin' on the Ritz

**Chapter 5: Puttin' on the Ritz**

**I introduce a new character. His name is William Barba and I see him played by Raul Esparza who plays Chilton in NBC Hannibal (also I model a minor character in this chapter after Chilton in Silence of the Lambs).**

* * *

The Joker skipped towards Bagheera's apartment door. He chuckled at the sound of the television set that had been left on. He wiped the blood that had spilled out of the necks of the officers on guard onto his purple slacks as he stopped with a wide smile in front of her door. He knew from his recently departed informant that the detective had left the apartment in the direction of Arkham Asylum, though he had no idea why she had decided to visit a mental institution in the middle of the night.

He pulled a spare key from his pocket and opened it with ease. The slight creaking of the door was music to his ears. He smiled as the opened door revealed to him once again the bland and boring sight of the shabby apartment.

"Honey," he announced loudly and in an overdramatic fashion, "I'm home," he stepped over the threshold and looked around the empty apartment as he licked at his scars, he sighed as he added gruffly, "Sneakin' around on me again, Baggy? Well I will, uhh, forgive you this once-uh."

He closed the door behind him and chuckled as it rattled the walls of the detective's apartment. He looked over to the television in the corner and watched as an old episode of Law & Order played on the screen.

"Baggy, Baggy," the Joker announced as he sashayed around the small apartment towards the kitchen to raid her fridge, "you are so pre-**DICT**-able!"

He ripped a ripe banana off of her tiny kitchen table and quickly pilled it. He took one large bite from the sweet fruit and discarded it, leaving it for Bagheera to pick up from her clean linoleum floor. He moved quickly back into the living room and made his way towards her desk. When he had been inside her apartment previously there had been very little life given to it, now there was a little life, a little style to the apartment, and it came from his face being posted all around her desk area. He couldn't help but to allow a proud chuckle escape him as he looked at the many photos of himself in his beautifully applied makeup and expensive suits. His chuckles escaped him as photographs of men and women, his many victims, looked back at him.

"That's not at all nice of you Detectiveee," he said with a hint of anger in his voice as he grabbed a red marker from inside of her desk drawer. He leaned forward, biting his tongue softly as he began to scribble on his victim's faces.

"Drug fiend," Joker announced with a pop of his lips as he wrote the words above a picture of a thin man with blonde hair.

"Traitor," he said as he wrote above a woman's head that had been dressed in a military uniform.

"Mobster," the clown wrote above another.

"_Accident! I'm sorry_," he wrote above several other photographs along with a small smiley face beside the explanation. He took a heavy breath as he continued his descriptions of the few other photos that Bagheera Lewis had placed for further inspection.

The Joker dropped the marker from his hands and twirled away from her desk, his purple overcoat twirled around with his movements. He clapped his hands together as a large smile came over his painted features. He giggled frantically as he hurried towards her bedroom. He entered her boring, plain bedroom happily. The clown threw himself upon her bed with a happy squeal as he bounced slightly up and down on her new bed. The comforter wrinkled under his weight as he moved around on the bed like a child. He could smell her scent that remained upon the bed sheets and the pillows as he moved about to find a comfortable position upon the detective's bed.

"Now Baggy," Joker announced as he rested his head upon her pillows, "a man like me," he chuckled, "Well, I could get used to a…uh bed like this."

His dark eyes roamed over her small bedroom from his place on her comfy bed. He quickly glanced over the photographs that she had in the small room and chuckled as he took in the picture of her dead parents. He looked at the small closet in the corner of her small bedroom and smiled as he hurriedly pushed himself off of her bed. The bed made a small noise as he removed his weight from the mattress, but he ignored it as he licked at his lips expectantly.

"What type," he popped his letters as he stopped in front of the closet, "of skeletons ya got in your closet, Baggy?"

He opened the door and his small smile escaped him as he looked at the bland clothes that hung on the small bars. A black sweater, a few plain skirts and slacks, and countless collared button up shirts looked back at him. Black and white, with a few grey patterns mocked him. He looked down at his own wardrobe and shook his head. He wore flashy, eye popping colors that let people know that he was to be the center of attention. He shook his head at her choice of style.

His gloved fingers danced frantically through her clothes until he found a dark blue dress with simple black lace that made up the sleeves and across the chest area. He smiled at the simple elegance of the dress and smiled as he spied the price tag still pinned to the sleeve. His dark eyes sparkled as he spied two other dresses in the back of the small closet. The first was a dark purple knee length business like dress with long sleeves and pointed squares; the shade of purple matched his jacket color. The clown couldn't help but chuckle as he touched the ruffled purple fabric that went down the chest front of the dress. He moved passed that dress and he smiled brightly at the longer dress that hung in the very back of her closet. The prettiest shade of emerald green looked back at him. It was simple enough, made of silk. The gown wasn't a boring old bride maid's gown or a dress made for a high school junior. It lacked worthless rhinestones, what it lacked in cheap jewels, it made up in with elegance. He jerked the dress out of the closet and chuckled as he waved it about in the air as if he were dancing manically with the dress. He smiled as the fabric swayed in the air with each step he took with it in his gloved hands. The Joker was careful not to rip the end of the gown as he moved back towards her bed. He threw the dress onto her bed and smiled as he made his way to write a little message for her that he wanted to leave atop the beautiful green dress.

...

Bagheera felt the elevator jerk to a stop as it came to the top floor that was home to Gotham's craziest. Her stomach flipped inside of her stomach as the elevator situated itself between the floors. She waited patiently as the doors of the old elevator opened up. A dim light that flickered bleakly greeted her to the maximum security ward of the asylum. A slight shiver moved through her as she stepped out of the elevator and onto the recently mopped floors.

She moved with soft steps towards the young woman that ran the desk. She grabbed her badge and showed it to the young brunette nurse who was typing away on the outdated desktop computer. Bagheera looked the tired woman over and stopped at her old name tag. The name tag told her that the woman's name was Stephanie Martinez.

"Detective Bagheera Lewis," she informed the nurse. She watched as the woman glanced away from her computer and looked at her in a rather annoyed fashion, "I'm here to see patient-"

"Yes," the nurse interrupted her, "the front desk called to let us know. You will have to be briefed before entering."

"I know the-"

"No exceptions," Stephanie Martinez informed her in a bored tone as she glanced away from Bagheera and back to her computer to finish whatever task had consumed her before, "You can take a seat in one of those chairs. He shouldn't be too much longer."

"Who," Bagheera asked.

"Doctor Crawford," the nurse answered.

Bagheera nodded in understanding and turned away from the cranky nurse to sit in the old, smelly chair in the corner of the small waiting room. She felt sleepiness trying to overtake her as she sat in the chair but she forced herself to stay awake. The constant typing from the nurse, the sound of deep cleaner running somewhere within the hospital, and hushed screams combined in the hospital to make a white noise that tempted Bagheera to fall asleep like the sirens sang to tempt sailors to their deaths.

"Detective Lewis," a male voice questioned her.

She looked up to see an average looking man with salt and pepper hair looking back at her. He was dressed in simple clothes and was void of the white coat that she had expected him to wear. She pushed herself from the chair and she winced as a sudden pain lurched through her body, but she tried her best to ignore it in front of the doctor.

"Yes," she answered as she showed her badge for the third time, "You're Crawford?"

He nodded as his answer to her question.

"You've come to see Jonathon Crane," he asked of her.

"Yes."

"He hasn't had a visitor in quite a while," Crawford informed her, "Is this in anyway about the Joker? I would like to be given credit if you do use my predecessor and patient."

She shook her head and lied, "I can't really give that detail to you. I just need to have a quick interview with Dr. Crane."

"He hasn't spoken to any of the doctors that had wished to examine him, but-"

"I'm not a doctor," she interrupted him quickly, "I'm just here to ask him a few questions. Now if you will, can you tell me the procedure so I can get home? It is rather late."

"You were the one that begged to see him immediately, Detective Lewis," Crawford said defensively as he stood with his back straight in front of her.

Bagheera forced herself not to roll her eyes at the man that took his position to seriously.

"I know," Bagheera admitted as she forced a fake grateful smile upon her tired face, "and I thank you for allowing me to do this at this hour."

Dr. Crawford returned her smile. His smile was bright and shiny. He quickly took a glance over her figure and then moved back up to her eyes.

Bagheera felt herself cringe as she felt his eyes move over her, but she pretended as if she were ignorant of his gaze.

"You know," he started with a cheesy grin on his face, "I've had a lot of detectives come and go through those doors, but I have to say you are the most attractive."

"Well thank you Doctor," she said in order to not be seen as unfriendly, though her bright blue eyes burned in anger.

"You're new to Gotham," he kept on, "This could be quite the fun town if you have the right-"

"No. I was born and raised here in Gotham for most of my childhood," she corrected him, "Can you please take me to Dr. Crane?"

She watched as the doctor looked down at his feet in embarrassment and wounded pride, "Of course. Come with me."

She smiled in triumph as he lead her through double doors that led deep into the maximum security wing of the asylum.

"Maybe you can make him talk," Crawford informed her. "I sure do hope you can. It would be good to have Johnny boy talking again."

"And why is that?"

"A pretty girl like you could turn him on," Crawford answered with a cunning smile as he led her down the silent hallway.

"I graduated with honors," Bagheera answered, "I don't charm criminals, I put them down."

"Yes," he stated in a bored tone, "I've read in the papers. I also watched how the Joker didn't kill you. You must be some kind of special if the Joker decides to spare you."

Bagheera rolled her eyes at his false observation.

"Now onto the rules: do not touch the bars or the glass wall behind them," he informed her, "You can pass him loose leaf papers through the little slot, but you cannot pass him pens or staples that he could use to harm an orderly. They're pretty simple rules and I expect you to find them easy to follow with your honors degree."

"I'm sure I can," she informed him, "If I am to work this _charm_ that I possess then I need to be alone with him," she gave him a soft smile.

The doctor smiled back at her and nodded, "As you wish. I had an orderly leave you out a chair. He's the last one down the hall. You can't miss those damned blue eyes of his."

"Thank you Dr. Crawford," she whispered as she made her way alone down the long hallway towards Dr. Jonathon Crane.

Her heart quickened only momentarily as she stood in front of his high security cell. Bright blue eyes met bright blue eyes as they looked over each other. He sat on the corner of his bed. His lanky legs were spread out in front of him. She stood tall in front of him as she watched the patient stand tall. His clothes fell loose around his lanky body.

"And what brings you to my door," he asked with a small, amused smile, "It's been so long, Bagheera."

"It's been too long Jonathon," she answered with the same smile, "or am I speaking to the Scarecrow?"

"I can assure you He wouldn't be as polite to you if He were here right now," Jonathon answered with a shrug of his shoulder.

Bagheera looked him over closely. She could tell that his hair had not been taken care of properly, it was oily and shaggy. She could tell that he had been malnourished by how sunken in his cheeks were. His blue eyes were still the same striking shade of blue that she had remembered. It was the only thing that hadn't been altered from his stay in the asylum that he had once practiced in.

She licked her lips as she moved towards the barrier between them. She slowly placed her hand upon the glass, deliberately breaking Crawford's rule. Her eyes weakened and her features softened as she looked upon the familiar face of her past in Gotham.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly as her bright blue eyes met his, "I should have been there for you," she shook her head, "Maybe I could have-"

Jonathon smiled coldly at her and shook his head, "Nothing you could have done about it. How's your career?"

"Stressful," she whispered, "I was shot today. It wasn't serious. The Joker."

Jonathon smiled in amusement at her statement and asked, "Can I see?"

Bagheera removed her hand from the glass and looked around the long hallway.

"No one else is awake. It's just us."

She slowly unbuttoned her blouse to the midpoint. She pulled the sleeve down to expose her bruise to the good doctor. She was careful not to allow too much skin to show to the man behind the glass and bars. She shivered from the cold air.

"He shot you with a blank," Crane said casually.

"I got him back though," Bagheera answered proudly, "I clipped him, but I got him. That's a start. No other cop has been able to do that."

"You want to kill him," Crane asked.

She shook her head quickly and answered, "I don't want to end his life, but if he pulls on me again then I will put him down."

He smiled at her and replied, "Always the good, honest Samaritan."

"Not always," she answered.

"And your voices in your head? What are they saying," he asked in order to change the subject, "What does your fear doing to you?"

A dark smile crossed her face. A cold indifference filled her heart as she glared at the man standing in front of her. His pupils dilated as he asked about her fear as if her fear was her naked body being presented to him.

"Unfortunately for you," she stated knowingly and without emotion, "I get along with those voices inside of my head."

"For now," he answered with the same knowing tone that she held, "It will get to you. That fifteen minutes of fame-"

"Do you think I'm crazy," she asked while interrupting him. Her eyes were wide as she watched him glare at her for her rude interruption.

"I _kno_w you are," he answered casually, "It's in your blood."

"That's not fair."

"Isn't it," he asked her as he watched her body movements for any telling signs that would show her discomfort around him. He observed no telling signs of discomfort from the visiting detective.

"Do you think I'm crazy," he asked her, turning the question back in her direction.

"You're sick Jonathon," she answered honestly, "But I don't think that you are crazy."

"I've missed you," he said quickly and added in an effort to cover his quick admission, "Does the Joker like you?"

"I don't know what to think about him," she admitted with a shrug, "He's been in my house. He can get into my home whenever he wants and yet he hasn't killed me."

"I think he likes you," Jonathon informed her, "He must if he shot you with a blank. We do get some news reports in here and the orderly tells me the headlines when the doctor isn't listening in."

"He's not crazy," she informed him, "I don't know what he is. I've never faced someone like this."

"Is that why you came to see me," he asked, "to get my professional opinion. Psychopharmacology is my expertise, but I can give you a little insight."

"Detective Lewis," the voice of the orderly called to her from further down the hall, "It's time for you to go now."

She turned back to the man she came to visit, gave him a knowing smile, and replied, "No, I came because I wanted to, because I missed you too Jonathon."

"See you around," Jonathon answered as he winked at her, a darkness appeared in his eyes just as she placed her hand upon the glass once again before taking her leave.

...

Bagheera rubbed at her tense neck. Her night had been a long one when she had discovered that the Joker had once again entered her home and disturbed her belongings. She had been thrown into a small meeting room within the police station. The door had been locked on her, apparently for her own protection. Ramirez had given her the heads up that she was to be interviewed by someone in Internal Affairs in regards to her and the Joker's altercation and what was left at her home when she had arrived home from Arkham Asylum. Gordon had told her to keep her head when she was dealing with whoever was coming to talk to her from IA. She didn't need the advice, considering that it had become a routine thing for her to be interviewed by the backstabbers.

She sighed as the stress from the last few hours moved over her sore body. She had not gotten the rest that she had been ordered to take. She looked around the small office and shook her head. Boxes of files filled the room along with outdated uniforms that stood forgotten on clothes racks in the corner. Her coffee, that had long ago gone cold, sat forgotten on the table that she sat at. The room had a stale smell to it and stains covered the ceiling from old water leaks.

The door opened and she turned her head quickly to see Harvey Dent walking inside the cramped office followed by a rather handsome man of average height walking in behind him. She eyed him carefully; her bright blue eyes took in his expensive brown suit (which she decided that he was designed to wear all things earth toned instead of the standard navy blue and black suits that Harvey Dent seemed to wear) and well-kept dark hair. She smiled at his hazel eyes that seemed to hide a warmth inside the honey gold tones of his irises. He wore a well-trimmed beard that she found rather handsome. She smiled at him as she decided that he was a creature that was pleasing to her eyes.

"Detective Lewis," Harvey Dent announced, "This is William Barba. He owed me a favor back from our IAB days."

"So you get to deal with me," Bagheera asked as she stood from her chair and shook the man's hand while giving him a kind smile, "Nice to meet you."

"I can assure you Detective Lewis," William Barba stated as he held her hand in his for a moment too long, "that by the end of all of this that you won't be smiling at me in that happy manner. In fact, you may despise the day that you met me."

"Well," she said with a forced smile as he finally let her hand go free, "We'll see about that."

"Please have a seat," he informed her as he waved to her chair. He took to the chair in front of her while Harvey stood in the corner, "Oh he needs to stand there as a witness."

"It's fine I guess," she answered with a shrug of her shoulders, "I assume this is about yesterday's incidents?"

"Partly," William Barba answered as he looked over the files that he had brought in with her.

"Right now we want to know about you being at Arkham last night," Harvey Dent asked, suspicion was clear in his voice as he glared down at her.

"I was there," she answered honestly, "I was speaking with a patient."

"A patient in the max security section, is that correct," Barba asked as he looked over to her. He was watching her bright blue eyes for any signs of a lie or hesitation.

"That's true," she admitted, "I was seeing Dr. Jonathon Crane."

"And you thought he could give you some insight into the Joker," Barba asked, still watching her closely.

"No," she informed him with a small smile.

"Then why," Harvey asked, "where you witnessed disregarding the rules of the hospital by touching the glass barrier?"

She rolled her eyes at Harvey and stated flatly, "There were bars and then a glass barrier. He couldn't get to me…and Crane wouldn't hurt me."

"You're on thin ice Lewis," Harvey informed her harshly; she could see a vein in his forehead throbbing in anger as he glared at her.

She looked away from him and shook her head.

"You are in danger of being reprimanded for this. Even suspended," Barba informed her as he looked to Dent and then back to her, "I'm going to need an explanation as to why you went to Arkham Asylum and lied to get in to see a patient which you had no clearance to see."

"Yes I lied," she admitted quickly, her voice was sharp as she looked to the handsome man that sat in front of her.

"Why," Barba asked, "Why lie?"

"Because," she paused and shook her head, she looked down at her fingers in shame, "Dr. Jonathon Crane is my cousin."

She placed her hand against her forehead and shook her head, "I didn't want anyone to know about that connection."

"That's just great," Harvey whispered to himself and shook his head as he walked to the door to dismiss himself, "another crooked cop."

She shook her head and said in haste, her voice cracked on her as she admitted, "I lied about that yes, but I am not a bad cop. I want to put the Joker in prison. I want to save that girl."

A vibration sounded in her pocket and she ignored it, knowing that it was her cell phone. It was most likely a text from Angela Rainey asking her how she was doing in her new job.

"Did you know that the Joker killed the officers assigned to watch your home last night," Barba asked of her, as he took in her tired features, "Detective Lewis the faster we get through this the faster I can make my decision on what to do with you."

"No," she answered, "I didn't know until Gordon told me. He said that a woman had been murdered as well. They believe she was working with the Joker."

"And the dress," he asked.

"I have no idea what that letter pinned to my dress was referencing," she answered. She looked down at the rumpled paper in red ink:

_Come let's mix where Rockefellers walk with sticks or umbrellas in their mits, puttin' on the Ritz? Let's show Gotham some class. Dress up like my million dollar trooper if you're feeling blue Baggy! You'll be a vision in green!-J_

William Barba gave her a quick smile and replied, "Well lucky for you that I have a wide collection of music tastes. It's a song. It's about dressing up fashionably."

"He wants to take me out then," she said with a roll of her eyes, "He thinks I'm easy. He thinks he can manipulate me. But he obviously doesn't know me," she allowed her eye brow to peak higher than the other, "I'm not easy."

Her phone vibrated again, and she looked down at her pocket momentarily and took a deep breath.

"He's not going to stop entering my home," she informed him, "For the safety of others I wouldn't ask for guards to cover my apartment."

He nodded as he scribbled something into the file that he had brought in with him. He pulled the letter away from her and placed it back into the file.

"And the shooting?"

"He shot at me first," she informed him, "I shot back. It's that simple."

"Well, Detective Lewis," Barba announced, "I think that you've answered what I wanted," he gave her a smile, "I took it easy on you this time just because it is the Joker. Any other IA agent would have you on suspension. I'm going to recommend that you go on suspension with pay after the Joker is taken down. It won't be made public," he shook his head, "God knows that's what you need is more publicity. It will be just called vacation."

Bagheera brightened up and smiled at the man in front of her as if she were a school girl instead of a well-trained detective. She took a deep breath and calmed herself as she stood and shook his head once again.

"Well, Mr. Barba," she informed him with a controlled voice, "I don't hate you. I am not a fan of Harvey Dent though."

"Yet. But keep this in mind when it comes to the next election. I plan on running for DA next go round," he said with a cunning smile as he grabbed his files and exited the room, leaving her alone with her vibrating phone.

She waited for the door to close before she grabbed her cell phone out of her side pocket. Three text messages were held on her phone.

**Save me.**

**Abandoned Building. The Narrows. Lincoln Ave.**

**Hurry up Baggy. She's dying to meet you.**

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**And there is the end to this chapter! I am kind of holding off on having the Joker and Bagheera having face to face time right now in an effort to play at the cat and mouse game they have going on right now. **

**I would really love some reviews. I feel like I spend all this time making long chapters for nothing sometimes :(**

**What do you think of Barba? I am thinking of making him a major character later in this story.**

**What do you think about Crane and Bagheera? Was she lying to Harvey and Barba? **

**Tell me things :)**


	6. The Cat in the Bag

**Chapter 6: The Cat in the Bag**

**So finally we have a face to face with Joker and Bagheera!**

**And to Sabrina, I can't ever reply to you because your a guest reviewer but you are amazing! It was your review that made me write this chapter :)**

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Shards of glass scrunched under the weight of Bagheera's feet as she pulled herself out of the yellow cab that she had hailed at the police station. No one had seen her disappear from the job. No one had called her for information on the Joker's case. The only message that had been sent to her phone after the hasty departure had been from an unknown number that had told her where to be taken.

The detective looked upwards at the dilapidated building that had once been used as an apartment complex for low income single parent families or low income college students, now it was being used as a criminal's lair, a druggie's heaven, and a place to dump murder victims and still living kidnapping victims. Windows had been long broken and boarded up, beautiful street art moved up the dirty old bricks like uncontrollable vines, and the stench of decay and urine filled the air around the abandoned building. She took a deep breath as her hand moved instinctively moved toward her hip where her gun slept snuggly inside her holster. Her eyes glanced over the high windows from the other buildings that looked down on her for sniper activity but was quickly relieved that no threat existed against her.

'_If they get this gun, you're done for,' _the voice of reason whispered to her in her mind as she remembered that she had left her secondary weapon beside her bed. She silently cursed at herself as she stopped in front of the door. Noises of the city moved around her, but she felt like the world had stopped as she stood in front of the stained white door that would introduce her to the Joker or his henchmen, she really had no idea what she was about to walk into. Her ears ignored the noises that the city made as she stood in silence.

Her cell phone erupted with the obnoxious ring that finally broke the thick air that seemed to consume her.

"I see you," the voice of the Joker announced gleefully into her ear. His voice was shrill and loud in her ear. Bagheera felt a soft smile tug at the corner of her pink lips as a cool breeze moved against her and twirled her pony tail about in the wind.

"What am I about to walk in on Joker," she asked, a bitter tone in her voice, "Am I walking blindly into a death trap?"

A loud cackle from the Joker caused her to pull the phone away from her ear. She listened closely to the noises from behind the stained door and she smiled as she could hear the faint sound of frantic laughter coming from somewhere deep within its walls.

"Of course not Baggy," she heard him say. She quickly placed the phone back to her ear.

"I don't want you shot," he informed her with a chuckle, he sucked at his lips before adding, "I have some," he took a deep breath and whispered with a touch of dark villainy in his voice, "_big_ plans for you little panther!"

"If this is a trap," she started just as he began to cackle like a mad hatter once again, "I will shoot you again."

Bagheera clicked off the phone call and pocketed her cell phone and with quick reflexes she grabbed her weapon. She cracked the door open slightly with her free hand, took a deep breath, and then kicked it further with her foot and entered quickly.

"Gotham PD," she screamed and looked around the first floor. A man in a clown mask convulsed on the floor with a lake of blood pooling around him. She hurried towards the wounded man and kicked the shotgun that lay forgotten at his side away from him and knelt down beside him. She ripped off the clown mask to see a young man in his early twenties looking up at her. His skin was pale and clammy as his blood spurted out of the large slit across his neck.

"Save her," the boy whispered in gurgled speech as his convulsions began to slow as his life force drained out of his neck quickly.

Bagheera stood quickly and hurried up the stairs. Graffiti, old mattresses and blankets, and trash littered the sides of the old stairway. The sound of manic laughter and frightened screams pulled her forward. Her legs pounded against the rotting wood that made up the steep stairs. She ignored every level that she passed as she approached closer and closer to the horrible sounds that came from the Joker and the young girl. Her telephone started to ring over and over as she moved with quickness towards the sounds. She knew Gordon or Ramirez where calling to ask where she had slipped away to, but she had no time to tell them if she wanted to save the girl.

She stopped at the top floor. Closed doors lined each side of the littered hallway. Her heart beat like the pounding hooves of wild mustangs running in a stampede as she moved slowly with her gun ready to fire.

"Is that a curious pussy cat I hear out there," she heard the Joker ask from behind the middle door that she was approaching. The yellow paint was chipping from the old wood that it had been carved out of and red paint covered it with the words: Curiosity killed the kitty. The girl's scream was now muffled and she could hear his footsteps from behind the door.

"Don't move," she demanded as she opened the door quickly and pointed her gun in the direction of the girl. Her blues eyes quickly took in the littered room. The kidnapped girl was bruised and slightly bloodied with a gag in her mouth and her arms tied behind the back of the chair that she had been forced to sit into. The window to the fire escape had been left open and the Joker had escaped down it.

The girl cried as Bagheera walked quickly passed her towards the window. Bagheera looked down to watch as the cab that she had been driven in rushed away from the scene. She shook her head in anger at herself. She had lost the Joker for the second time in only a week.

The girl's muffled cried pulled Bagheera away from her momentary defeat. The detective hurried to the girl's side, dropped her weapon to the floor, and quickly untied her from the chair. She stood quickly away from the girl who was removing her own gag and picked up her pistol to place it back in its home on her hip. She started to check her phone but was stopped in her tracks.

"He planted a bomb," the girl said through frantic sobs.

Bagheera grabbed her hand and pulled the girl down the littered stairs. She dragged the girl down the stairs as if she were a stubborn mule to beat the bomb that she knew had been set to end her. Though her legs moved quickly, she looked carefully for any sign of the bomb.

"Where was it," Bagheera asked through deep breaths as they moved passed the third floor.

"First floor," she answered through labored breaths as she they moved around urine stained cushion from an old couch.

The two women hurried down the remaining stairs and hurried out of the abandoned apartment building. They rushed through the seemingly empty street of The Narrows. Bagheera's grip on the bruised and battered girl was tight as the turned around to look at the building from the middle of the street a few blocks away. Bagheera took a deep breath and she let the girl go as she reached for her cell phone to call Gordon.

"Detective," the girl whispered in a tired voice.

"What?"

Bagheera turned to the girl as a loud thump echoed around her. She looked to see the girl fall to the ground in her tattered dress from the Bruce Wayne's disastrous party. Her phone vibrated in her hand and she looked down to see that she had received a text message.

She opened it and shook her head in disbelief. The word "boom" looked back at her from the received text. She looked over to the still standing building and sighed in an attempt to slow her racing heart. She took deep breaths before she looked to her phone again and dialed Gordon's number.

"Lewis," Gordon answered with worry and agitation, "Where are you?"

"Lincoln Avenue," she answered with a deep breath as she kept her eyes on the building, "There was a bomb."

"Bagheera, are you-"

"I've got the girl Gordon."

...

Days had passed since Bagheera saved the Joker's kidnap victim. She had been taken to the hospital and had been patched up. The rape kit had come back negative like Bagheera knew it would have. There had been a threat against the mayor, but no leads had been made. She knew that the Joker would arrive, but she had no idea if he would actually go through with his plan. He seemed so changeable like he wanted her to believe that he was a psychopathic killer that really had no plan or control over what he was doing.

The recently deceased commissioner's funeral was going on around her as she made her way through the crowd. Her bright blue eyes were examining each person that she passed just as she did at Bruce Wayne's party for Harvey Dent. Her hair was in a high pony tail and she wore a freshly laundered white button up shirt with her boring black trousers and comfortable shoes. She wore her side arm in her holster and her other gun was hidden under her shirt.

"Where are you," she asked as the crowd watched with loud murmurs as the funeral parade made its way down the street. The somber music echoed loudly in the streets, the music and the noise from the crowd made it hard for Bagheera to focus in on suspicious conversations that may have been going on around her. Bagheera bumped into a man that was walking passed her with earphones stuck in his eats with his music at a high volume.

"Sorry," she whispered absently as she continued forward.

"You got anything," she heard Gordon's voice ask through the static of her radio that she held in her left hand.

"Not a sign," she answered as she spied Ramirez and Gordon walking down the street with many other decorated officers. Bagheera moved deeper into the crowd, she immersed herself into the crowd and felt free with her new found anonymity as the mayor and the other decorated officers made their way to the podium that had been set up for the funeral celebration.

"Commissioner Loeb," the mayor announced from his high perch, "dedicated his whole life to law enforcement and to the protection of his community. I remember when I first took office and I asked him if he-"

Bagheera's phone buzzed in her pocket and she quickly grabbed it. A text message looked back at her from her phone and she quickly opened it while expecting to see a text from the painted clown, but found a warning instead.

**Decorated Cop Imposters.**

She hurriedly placed her phone back into her pocket and made her way to the street. She struggled through the crowd that had squished together to get a better view of the mayor in anticipation of the Joker's threat. She could hear the news anchors announcing the anticipation to their viewers that could not be present at the actual event.

"Pardon me," she whispered, "Excuse me. Move out of the way. Thank you."

"Vigilance is the price of safety," the mayor said as he ended his speech about the commissioner and backed away slightly from his podium.

She made her way to the street and a round of shots fired into the air. She instinctively lowered her height as people scrambled around her in a panic. She didn't dare reach for her side arm as the citizens of Gotham ran around her like flies to a piece of food. She watched as a decorated officer dropped his gun and ran passed her with a look of uneasiness on his face.

Bagheera hurried after him. Her holster beat against her leg as she pursued the man that had rushed away from the scene. She could hear people screaming as she passed them by. She kept the man's bobbing head as she made her way back up to the curb to pursue him. She passed blindly by empty alleyways without looking to see if a monster was waiting to grab her and drag her into the darkness to do unspeakable horrors to her.

The running crowds consumed her and she lost the uniformed imposter. She stopped in front of an alley and ran her hand absently through her hair as she caught her breath from the burst of speed that she had exuded.

"Shit," she whispered to herself and started to grab at her a radio to call for Gordon, but a hard pull jerked her into the alleyway and out of view from any civilians. As soon as she was jerked, she reached for her side arm but found it empty.

A familiar laughter filled her head as she was thrown against the dirty brick walls of the alley. She could smell the gasoline and gun powder on him and she could see his make up less face. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his strong arms shove her into the wall. Her wide blues eyes looked from the long scars to his dark eyes and she shook her head as she grabbed her hidden weapon.

"I'm not gonna insulttt you," the Joker announced as he held her against the wall, "by telling you not to-"

She pulled the pistol from its hiding place and readied herself to put the clown down.

"Oh a little brains, Baggy," he asked as he grabbed her wrist and slammed it hard into the brick wall behind her, "I like that."

She hissed in pain from his tight grasp. The shards of the brick pierced through her thin skin. She held the weapon in her hand until the pain forced her to drop it. As it fell, she forced her free hand up to fight her way out of his grasp, but he pinned both her arms above her head, causing her body to form against the fabric of the officer's uniform. Fear found itself inside of her as she realized the situation that she had been placed in.

"Okay," she whispered as she looked down to the gun and then back to his brown eyes, "You've got me," she swallowed the fear that bubbled inside of her, "Are you going to kill me now?"

The Joker laughed at her as he adjusted her wrists into one hand so he could dabble into his pocket for his switchblade knife. He watched her bright blue eyes widen in fear as he popped the blade out and traced her lips.

"Don't," she whispered as he looked to her lips and then to her blue eyes that were pleading with him. He could see the fear that was in her eyes.

He smiled bright and licked his own lips. He leaned closer to her and asked while popping his t's, "And why not Baggy?"

"Why the girl," she asked, "Why take her?"

He chuckled at her question and asked with his own question, "You gave me a scar."

"You shot me first," she snapped back quickly.

"I didn't kill you," he answered with a smile as he pushed closer towards her, invading every amount of personal space that had remained between the two, "when I so," his voice grew darker, lower, huskier, "when I so easily could have."

She searched his dark eyes as he removed the knife from her face and allowed it to rest at her throat where he let it scrape lightly against her skin.

"I could say the same thing," she answered as a brow lifted defiantly.

"And why didn't ya Bags," he asked, his voice regained a light, singsong tone to it, "You could have been famous by bringing down little ol' me!"

She smiled at his giddiness and added without emotion, "I made a mistake. You force me to pull on you, I'll put you down Joker."

The Joker laughed loudly at her as if she had just told the funniest joke that he had ever heard. She closed her eyes as his shrills laughs echoed around her. She began to jerk ever so slightly with the small hope that she would be able to break free from his tight grasp while he laughed uncontrollably.

"Hey, hey," the Joker said in concern as he immediately stopped his giggles and watched her moving with determination, "Where'd that smile go? Did I scare you? Is it the scars?"

"I," a sharp breath escaped her as she watched the Joker plunge his knife into her stomach.

A sudden sharp pain emerged from her belly. A gasp escaped her as the Joker pushed his switchblade deeper into her. He dropped her hands and watched with a devious glint in his eyes as he watched a veil of what looked to him to be fear with a hint of betrayal in her eyes. Dark blood stained her shirt and dripped down her pants. One hand went to the wound and she watched as blood stained her pale fingers. She looked back to the clown for an explanation for his violent act that he performed on her.

The pain slowly subsided as he removed the knife and wiped it on her shirt. He watched as her hands fell into his chest as she stumbled forward and fell into him. Her knees had gone weak and he allowed her to fall to the ground on her own without help from him. He watched with interest as she looked up at him, her hand grasped at his purple pants leg as she took deep breaths. Her fingers tightened around the fabric as tears escaped her just as black edges began to slowly start taking over her vision.

"Let's go home Baggy," he informed her loudly with a smile on his face as he watched her lose consciousness.

A white van with covered bullet holes pulled back towards them and he smiled as he pulled her unconscious body from the ground. The closeness of her limp body allowed him the freedom to take in her scent. The smell of strawberries and banana radiated from her body as he pushed her body onto the floor of the van.

He hopped with giddiness as he pulled himself into the van to take Bagheera Lewis home for a little interrogation and to send a message to Gotham City that no one was really safe and vigilance couldn't even save a police officer against him.

He had finally found his kitten that he thought he'd never find and he couldn't wait to get her into a bag.

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**So Bagheera has been stabbed in her abdomen and now she is in the hands of the Joker! Oh no! What is going to happen to her?!**

**Let me know what you think. I love reviews :D**


	7. Pressure Point Found

**Chapter 7: Pressure Point Found**

**So this is the longest chapter so far ad i gives a peek into who Bageera is or was in her life before Gotham. I hope you enjoy it!**

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Bagheera's heavy lids opened as a searing pain moved through her from her lower abdomen. She lay shirtless with the Joker burning her wound to stop the bleeding with an iron chimney fire poker, his oldest lackey stood behind him like a silent watcher as he began to stitch her broken skin back together again. He chuckled as he watched her sluggish, drugged mind haphazardly try to piece bits of information together. He couldn't help but laugh at her facial movements.

Bagheera's mind was cloudy and she could hear laughter that sounded as if it were coming from miles away. She could taste the distinct flavor of a sedative on her lips and tongue as she lay defenseless in the heart of the Joker's hideout. Her breath came in short bursts as she lay motionless in her drugged state. She could smell old dust floating in the air above her, but her blurred vision kept her from clearly observing the surroundings. Her mind and eye lids were growing heavier as the pain surged through her body that lay atop an old, lumpy mattress. She could feel a cool draft move over her skin as a harsh tug came from her abdomen.

"I need to," Bagheera slurred as she tried to move from the bed. She hissed and let her head fall back against the cool pillow as the pain from her abdomen lurched through her. Tears fell from her eyes as she looked to the ceiling. A blurred ceiling fan slowly faded into focus in her vision and then blurred once again.

"Baggy," the Joker announced as he moved away from his place at her lower stomach to her face. He watched as a drug induced smile came across her face. Her blue eyes sparkled as he stood in her sight.

"Did he send me a clown to cheer me up," she slurred as the clown came into her blurred vision, "He's such a good person."

"Baggy," he informed her as a smile grew across his face as he took in her bright blues and goofy, druggy smile, "Look at me."

Bagheera moved her face in an effort to try and focus at the clown in front of her. Her eyes danced in her head as the bright colors of the clown's clothes came into crystal clear focus. She felt a surge of pain come over her as she realized who was standing in above her exposed body with a pair of sharp scissors in his hands.

The Joker laughed as he watched the detective's eyes roll back into her skull as she fainted from the pain in the wound that he had created from her and from the realization that she was helpless in the murdering clown's bed. His laughter continued through the operation as his large henchman stood tall behind him watching silently. He jerked the last of the old, course sewing string through her flesh and he smiled as her inflamed skin moved at his command effortlessly. He tied the ends together and smiled proudly as he looked at his messy stitch work. The wound was puffy, burned, and beautiful. He had given her a scar that she could talk about to everyone whenever she wanted and it tickled his large funny bone. He pulled himself away from his unconscious plaything and turned to his henchman that stood in front of the door.

"Make sure **my**," his voice was dark with his warning as he pointed towards Bagheera with his index finger, his other hand touched his own chest as he leaned in close to the man to successfully invade his personal space, "toy stays in here. Get her into that uh…" he smacked his lips, "lovely little dress."

The Joker chuckled and added, "But you don't touch my toys, I won't touch yours," he held his ungloved hand out towards him and smiled, "Deal?"

The man nodded his answer and kept his eyes forward as the Joker left him alone with the broken detective. He didn't make a move to help her out of her horrible situation. He simply pulled the green dress out of its protective bag and moved towards the unconscious woman. He carefully removed her bloodstained pants and shoes and slipped her dress on over her limp legs. He pulled her upper half up and allowed her head to rest on his shoulder as he pulled the zipper up until it fit her snugly. He could hear her moaning softly from the dull pain that zapped through her body from the sudden movement. He gently laid her back down on the pillow and straightened the green dress to make her look more presentable and more comfortable as she laid upon the Joker's half made bed.

...

The sound of 80s techno music pulled Bagheera from a drug induced sleep. Her heavy lids opened slowly as the sound of a man singing in rhymes to the synthesized music entered her ears. She tried to recall the events that led to her forgetfulness but she couldn't recall a single thing other than falling to the ground and holding onto something purple as a black curtain had fallen over her.

_If you're blue and you don't know where to go to_

_Why don't you go where fashion sits_

_Puttin' on the Ritz_

She groaned as the fuzziness escaped her mind and her vision cleared. Bagheera could see that she was looking up at a white ceiling with a working ceiling fan that circulated musky air around her. She moved to sit up on the bed but a shooting pain moved through her body from her lower abdomen. She groaned and let her head fall back on the pillow that her head had been laying on during her unconscious sleep.

She sucked in a gulp of air in an attempt to ease the throbbing pain. Her fingers ran through her hair as she tried to recall what had happened to her. Stress was building inside of her and her heart was beating because of her unknown status. She could feel the lace of her green dress on her skin and she closed her eyes as her hand moved slowly to where the pain exuded from. She winced as the tips of her fingers graced the top of the wound.

_Dressed up like a million dollar trooper_

_Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper_

_Super Dooper!_

"She's awake," a sing song voice erupted from the door way. She could hear the door slam and the thumps of the man's footfalls echoed in her ears as she recalled who had been the cause of the aching pain in her lower stomach. The music stopped as he entered the room, leaving them both in silence in the cold bedroom. Her heart beat like the pounding hooves of wild horses in her chest as the Joker appeared into her line of view. Memories from their previous interactions rushed into her mind. She could see the glistening silver of his switchblade, she could feel the pain that moved through her and then the sudden warm peace that had come to her as she fell into his arms, and she could feel still feel the brick of the alley wall biting into her palms. She swallowed the fear that had built inside of her like a volcano ready to erupt. She focused her blue eyes on the smiling clown in front of her.

"Where," her voice cracked from the hours of misuse during her drug induced sleep, her voice was soft as she looked at him to her new attire, "Where are my clothes?"

"Well Baggy," he said in a matter of fact tone as he stood above her, " those are your clothes," the Joker informed her with chuckle, "Ya see uh," he licked at his lips as he looked at her, "I found that dress all the way in the back of your closet."

Bagheera closed her eyes at his explanation. She knew he had looked around in her apartment, but she had never thought to check if anything was missing in her closet.

"You are a rather boring dresser," he said in excitement, "so I had to fix that for your TV debut!"

She opened her eyes and shook her head.

"I don't understand," she asked and shook her head, "What do you want from me?"

He chuckled at her question and signaled with his gloved hands for her to stand. She felt woozy as she rolled onto her side; her bare back faced him as she struggled against the pain that was shooting through her body once again. She bit at her chapped lips as she pushed herself up from the bed. Her bare feet touched the cold floor and she shivered, the shiver had been visible to the Joker's eyes and she closed her eyes as the feeling of feeling vulnerable fell over her like cold water.

"Stand up Baggy," Joker demanded as he watched her sit on the side of the bed with her back turned defiantly against him, "You don't have all day."

Those words pierced through Bagheera. She knew that it was rare that anyone survived the Joker's attention. She had dug deep into his files and re-read every case that he had ever been involved in or suspected of being involved in. She knew that the sand in her hour glass was about to run out. With that thought, a new sense of survival came over her. She was not going to let him kill her or mutilate her face. She was going to make him flip her hourglass over; it would only take a little pushing on her part to ensure that she stayed alive and stayed sane in his presence. She smiled softly so he couldn't see, she was thankful that she had personal experience on how to handle a _psychopath. _

"You could say please," she whispered as she forced herself carefully from the bed. The dress fell around her bare feet gracefully. The captured detective turned to the clown in purple and gave him a small smile as she looked down to the bed that separated the two from each other.

The Joker laughed obnoxiously at her whispered suggestion as he looked over her green gown, "You're funny! I LOVE that in a gal!"

"I'm really not," she informed him as she straightened her back and stood tall in front of his harsh gaze that penetrated into her soul. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she gazed back into his cold, dark eyes. Her legs wanted to run, but she forced herself to stay still in his presence, to not reveal that she was afraid of a man in a purple suit and Halloween make-up.

He laughed obnoxiously at her words. He grabbed at his ribs as his laugh turned into an uncontrollable giggle. Bagheera watched him in confusion and interest. The Joker's giggled stopped and he hopped onto the bed. His shoes stained the bed sheets with dirt from the streets of Gotham as he made his way towards her in a quick stride. He jumped down in front of her and smiled brightly at her.

"Hello Baggy," he whispered in a husky voice as he closed in on her like a wolf closing in on a lonely, lost sheep.

"Joker," she whispered, her lips quivered and she backed away from him ever so slightly. Anger bubbled inside her that she had once again let him invade her personal space and allowed him to frighten her. She needed to take the upper hand in the situation.

The Joker smiled as his hands grabbed at her waist and jerked her towards him until they were chest to chest. His fingers drew tiny circles into her waist as he held her. He watched as her blue eyes hardened as she glared up at him. He licked at the inside of his cheeks, tracing the scars and slowly gave her some moving room.

Bagheera moved away from him and quickly grabbed his wrist and jerked it behind his back. She ignored the pain that she felt as she moved him around like he was a rag doll. She could hear the clown laughing manically as she manhandled him.

"Good job Bags," he said through chuckles as she shoved him against the wall, his painted cheek collided into the wall and left flakes of his face paint on the walls, "I'm proud of you!"

"You don't get to say another word," she hissed through the pain that buzzed inside of her frail body, "And if anyone comes through that door, you are going to tell-"

"You **never **start with the head," the Joker informed her while completely ignoring her angry demand, "You always go for the weakest point."

Bagheera felt the Joker come free from her tight hold and turn on her. She felt a scream of pain escape her as she felt a deep pressure inside of her stomach wound. She felt hot tears escape her eyes and she moved away from him in defeat. She could feel her warm blood escaping the stitched wound and she began to feel dizzy. She looked up to the Joker and watched helplessly as he shoved her back onto his bed. Fear bubbled through her as she felt him jumping on top of her. He giggled like a crazed school girl as she tried to wiggle out from under him. The pain was excruciating with each move she made. Tears freely fell from her eyes and she screamed in pain as the clown placed his knee into her wound. She stopped wiggling underneath him and began to punch at his knee in a last ditch effort to remove the pressure that he was exuding onto her open wound. She sobbed and screamed at the pain as she punched at him. He laughed comically at her and dodged each punch like a boxer in a boxing ring.

Bagheera stopped her movement as gazed up at the ceiling as a blackness began to slowly take over her sight. She felt the Joker remove his knee from her wound; she could feel the blood pouring from her it. She could feel the beating of her heart as if it came from the wound itself. The burning sensation moved around her stomach.

"No, no, no Baggy," she heard the Joker demand. Her head moved side to side as she felt the man's hand slap at her cheeks.

"I need my little kitty awake for this fun," he demanded as he grabbed her limp wrists and pinned them above her bed and onto the bed with one hand while the other hand adjusted her so he placed himself between her legs as if they were a loving couple.

"Oh the old familiar places. I could get used to being this uh," he licked his lips, "way with ya Bagheera," he whispered to her as he looked down at her as she lay helplessly underneath him. He could see a fire burning inside her eyes at his perverted comment and the use of her full first name.

She looked at him with cold, dead eyes as anger bubbled inside of her as she felt his free hand caressing absently at her exposed thigh. She swallowed the remaining fear that had filled her before and anger took over her as she glared at him. She watched as the Joker looked away from her angered eyes and to the growing bloodstain on her gown.

"Look what you did," he said in mock anger as if he was her father, "You ruined your pretty dress!"

Bagheera didn't acknowledge him with an answer.

"I'll have to re-stitch that," the Joker informed her as he licked at his lips and looked down harshly at her, "Maybe I'll use some old yarn this time."

He heard her grunt and her legs tightened around his hips. He laughed as he felt her take control over him and dumped him over the side of the bed. He felt her fall on top of him and his arms instinctively wrapped around her shoulders as the both fell to the hard floor on the other side of the bed. He chuckled at her quick defense. He chuckled as he felt her shove her hand into his deep pocket to grasp at his switchblade. He licked his lips as he watched her hair move wildly with her precise movements. She popped the blade open and placed it against his throat.

"You're right," she whispered with a dangerous tone in his ear as she leaned in close to him, "it is all the familiar places with me on top of a psychopath," there was an almost animal like hiss in her voice as she pulled away from his ear and glared down at him, blood was still pouring out of her wound, "but mommy's had enough now."

The Joker groaned as the blade bit into his throat. He kept his eyes on her as she sat on top of him with anger burning bright in her blue eyes. He smiled at her words. If one were listening in, one would say that they were almost flirty. But he knew better of her.

"I don't want to kill you," she informed him, "But I won't hesitate to make you suffer."

"Oh," he said with a chuckle, "I think we are on even ground," he licked his lips again and glanced to her wound and then to his shoulder, "You shot me first. It was only fair."

"You," she said in anger as she pulled herself easily from him. She thought that she would have more trouble trying to get away, but the Joker was letting her leave, "you stay right there."

"You aren't going to take me in," he asked with mock sadness as he watched her pull herself away from him and walk backwards towards the door. He smiled as he watched her limp ever so slightly from the intense pain that she was trying to hide.

She gave him a sharp smile and turned her back on him and opened the door. The Joker laughed loudly as Bagheera looked down the barrel of a shotgun. She closed her eyes as a large, bald man with white supremacy tattoos on his forearms stood in front of her with the gun pointed at her head. She could hear the Joker standing from his place on the floor. She could hear her heartbeat and his footsteps as he moved closer and closer to her. He chuckled as he dangled her own handcuffs beside her ear.

"Tell me," he said with a chuckle, "You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him with defeat in her eyes. She looked down at the knife that was now useless in her hand and threw it in the corner. She had been outsmarted by the clown that lived to confuse and torture his victims. Self hatred and disappointment bubbled in her chest at the realization.

"Hands behind your back officer," he demanded as if he were a man of the law.

Bagheera did as he demanded and placed her hands behind her back. She hissed in pain as he pulled her arm up her back as if he were going to break her arm. She could hear him chuckling at her pain as he cuffed her wrists together. The metal was cold and tight against her slim wrists and it bit into her skin as she stood helplessly with her back to the Joker and her eyes to a man that held her at gunpoint.

"Now it's gonna be a lil dark for ya Baggy," he informed her quickly as he shoved a cloth bag over her head and lead her out of the bedroom to another room where she would make her television debut.

She could hear the door opening to another room and she shuddered from the cool air around her. Goose bumps made their way over her exposed flesh as she was forced to walk deeper into the unknown room. The pain from her opened wound ebbed away.

"Sit," the Joker demanded and shoved her down onto an old chair, "Bobby my man tie her up would ya?"

Bagheera felt the course rope tying her already cuffed hands to the back of the chair. She felt a panic come over her from the unknown once again as she listened to the erratic laughter of the Joker. The bag was pulled off her head and she adjusted her eyes to the darkness of the new room. A single television looked down at her and she looked up at it in confusion.

"What's this," she asked as she looked away from the television to the Joker who was hiding his face behind a camera. The Joker smiled as he looked at her through the camera lense, her hair was a mess and the look of confusion on her face that was now absent of fear made his stomach bubble in anxiousness.

She looked back to the television to see her friend Angela standing at her kitchen counter cutting onions for her family's dinner. Bagheera looked over to the Joker who was filming her.

"What are you doing," she asked into the camera.

The Joker pulled the small camera away and fiddled into his pocket while the captured detective watched him in confusion. She watched as fiddled with his vest pockets and clumsily pulled a few index cards out of the pocket. Bagheera watched as he walked towards her and held the index cards in front of her face. She could see the writing scribbled on the card and she shook her head, her hair moved wildly with her movements.

"No," she said in anger and disgust, "I won't say that. You can't make me say that!"

"Well uh," he popped his tongue to the roof of his mouth, "I think that ya will!"

"No," she said as tears filled her eyes as she re-read what the card directed her to say, the horrible words were tearing at her heart, "No. No. I won't," she shook her head as she looked up at him with pleading eyes, tears fell down her face, "Please."

"So you don't care about lil ol' Angie," he asked as he pointed at the television screen behind him. He chuckled as he watched Bagheera's blue eyes move back to the TV set, "What about Jonathon?"

The recording of Angela disappeared and video footage of Jonathon Crane came into her view. She could hear him muttering the name 'Scarecrow' over and over again. Her face hardened as she watched Jonathon shaking in his seat with his straight jacket tied on tight. Her lips quivered as she watched a male nurse inject a green liquid into his leg. Anger flooded through her body as she watched Crane fall to the floor and convulse like a grounded fish. Tears flooded her eyes as she watched him struggle as the nurse walked around him observing the once good doctor's movements. She could still hear Jonathon Crane saying 'Scarecrow' as his convulsions slowed.

"You son of a bitch," she spat as anger fueled her forward. The rope held her back as she struggled against the binds. Her cheeks were red and her eyes burned bright in anger as she looked from her cousin to the clown in front of her.

"What did you do to him?!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA," the Joker laughed and slapped his hand upon his knee cap as he zoomed the camera in on the detective, "I can have our uh little friend there blown into little pieces with one phone call," he smiled at her as he edged closer to her and reached to fix her messy hair, "it all depends on if the little kitty tells Gotham her side of the uh story."

"Don't," she whispered and shook her head. She bit at her bottom lip as she watched the Joker shake his head in disappointment, "Don't make me do this."

"Bob-o," the Joker announced happily as he looked away from her and to his henchman, "Ya don't mind makin' a little phone call do ya?"

"Fuck," Bagheera hissed as panic came over her. Her mind raced to understand how the Joker could have known about her connection to Jonathon. She had made sure to sneak away. There were only two people that knew her connection to the Joker and her blood ran cold as she thought of them.

"Yes sir," Bob answered, his voice was deep. He dug into his pants pocket and pulled out a cheap reloadable cell phone.

"No," Bagheera cried to him, "No," she looked up to the screen of Jonathon Crane and shook her head, "I'll do it. Please," her voice fell to a whisper, "don't hurt my cousin. He's all I have left. Please."

The Joker smiled and jumped in giddiness. He pointed to his henchman and then to Bagheera and demanded, "Make it look like she's had a really bad day."

Bagheera watched as Bob placed his phone back into his pocket and walked over to her slowly. He was taller than her and he held himself like a bodyguard. She felt like a tiny dog that was about to be beaten by its drunken owner as he moved towards her.

The first blow almost knocked her out of the chair. She let a small yelp out from the harsh pain that moved over her face. She could feel the blood falling freely from her left nostril. The second blow found her cheek bone and she knew that it would be bruised for a week. The third blow busted her lip and she spit out bloody spit. Her mind seemed like it was about to break from the few blows that Bob the henchman had delivered upon her face.

"It's not personal Baggy," the Joker informed her with a fake apologetic tone, "It's for television."

...

Bruce Wayne looked up at the television as he dressed for his morning routine at Wayne Enterprises. The words breaking news filled his large bedroom as Alfred walked in as he buttoned his shirt.

"Breaking news," the anchor man announced, "this just in. Detective Bagheera Lewis has been confirmed to be taken by the Joker. We've just received footage only moments ago for our viewing audience to see first here on GCN."

"We must warn you," the female co-anchor warned, "what you are about to see may be deeply disturbing to some viewers."

Bruce watched as they changed over to a recording that he knew the Joker had sent in to them. The footage was shaky at first and the Joker giggled as Bagheera came into clear view. The camera was zoomed out to show how beaten and bruised she was. He could see the large blood stain that was growing across her once lavish green dress. Blood dripped down her chin in an almost animalistic way. Her blue eyes were weak as she looked into the camera. Her cheeks were bruised from the beating that she had received at the hands of the Joker.

"So tell them your name," the Joker demanded like a parent to a shy child.

Bagheera looked directly into the camera and then passed the Joker to something that was off camera. Her eyes filled with hot tears.

"Ugh into the camera now Bags," the Joker chided as small chuckles of enjoyment escaped him. The camera shook from his giddiness.

Bruce watched as Bagheera's attention moved away from whatever was behind the Joker to the camera that was now zoomed in to capture the depth of her blue eyes.

"What do you suppose she's looking at," Alfred asked.

"Crane," Bruce answered as he kept his eyes on the television screen.

"You mean Scarecrow sir," Alfred asked as he looked over to the man that had once been the boy that he had raised.

"He's her cousin," Bruce said, "Harvey Dent let Batman in on that tidbit last night."

"Right," Alfred said as he looked back to the television, "I guess it's true that everyone has something to hide in this town."

"My name," she took an audible deep breath, "is Bagheera Ann Lewis."

"And tell them what needs to be said," the Joker demanded in a sing song voice.

Bruce watched as Bagheera looked up behind the camera once again for only a moment, but in that moment he could see fear clearly in her glassy eyes.

"I was asked to come back to Gotham to help aid in the capture of the," she stopped and looked to the Joker with disbelief on her face, "to help capture the _amazing_ Clown Prince of Crime that has been," she shook her head as she read what the Joker had told her to read aloud to the public, "_cleaning _these filthy streets and giving the city of Gotham the villain that they deserve. But the Joker isn't happy about the lies that are being spewed about the detective that has been assigned to end his career. He finds it offensive and rude."

Bruce watched her swallow her fear as she began the second half of the speech that the Joker had no doubt written out for her to read.

"That's why he captured me," Bagheera said and moaned softly as a quick pain radiated through her body, "He wants the stories to be set straight," she paused and shook her head, "My parents were murdered in our home when I was very young," tears burned at the corners of her eyes but she held them back courageously, "The man that shot them to death was never found and I was sent to live with another family member."

"And how many people have you _killed_," the Joker chuckled as the camera zoomed in on her.

"Just one," she answered.

"Are you a good cop Baggy? Or are you one of the bad apples that Gordon had working with him," the Joker's voice was becoming dark as his chuckles faded.

"I'm a good cop," she admitted as she looked passed the camera.

"You hear that Gotham? Just because she is related to a man that tried to poison you all doesn't mean she's a bad cop," the Joker announced happily as he pulled the camera away from her and focused it on himself, "we have ourselves a good cop," he chuckled darkly as he added, "oh and I have a reminder to this city. People are still going to die. Maybe the Bat will end this by coming to save the little detective?"

The Joker chuckled loudly and dropped the camera. Bruce Wayne and Alfred watched in horror as the camera recorded the Joker shoving Bagheera's chair to ground. They could see the silver of his knife and they could hear Bagheera's screams and the Joker's manic laughter combined together like a hellish opera just before the footage ran to its end.

"Alfred," Bruce said as he turned to his loyal butler, "He's trying to distract me from Dent."

"Have you made up your mind then," Alfred asked.

"Gordon's gone," Bruce said as he looked back to the television to look up at the television screen where the anchors were talking about the battered detective, "Rachel and Dent are now targets."

"And the detective," Alfred asked as he watched Bruce hurrying out of the bedroom.

"I'm taking the car," Alfred heard Bruce yell to him from further down the hall.

* * *

**Will Batman get to her in time? **

**What do you think about Bagheera and Joker's encounter? I wanted it to be different than most Joker/OC stories so I hope I did well in that department. **

**So obviously she is protective over Crane, but why? **

**Reviews are always great! I love them :)**


	8. The First Admission

**Chapter 8: The First Admission**

**Another long chapter for you guys!**

**Also, there is some dialogue in this chapter that will come about later in this story (hint: it's between Joker and Bagheera) (hint hint: a lot of clues to what will happen in this story is in the dialogue...I am notorious for putting the answers in dialogue, just ask the fans of my AHS fics!)**

* * *

"You wanna play games," Harvey asked as he pulled out his hidden weapon and loaded it. He showed the frightened, dark haired man that had shot Gordon during the parade the gun and then shot it into a forgotten garbage can in the darkness of the alley. Harvey felt rage surging through his veins as he placed the business end of the gun against the man's forehead.

"How's that feel huh," Harvey asked as he glared down at the fearful man.

"You wouldn't," the man babbled, fear was evident in his shaky voice.

"I WOULDN'T," Harvey screamed, "You don't think I will?"

The man mumbled his disagreement.

"You don't think I will?"

Again the man disagreed as he glared up at the district attorney.

"No," Harvey answered and pulled the gun away as the man yelped softly in surprise, "No I wouldn't. That's why I'm not going to leave it up to me."

The man looked at him in confusion as he watched Dent pull a coin out of his pocket.

"Heads," Harvey informed the man, "You get to keep your head. Tails? Not so lucky."

The man looked at the coin as he shook in his place in the chair. Darkness moved closer to the two men as they stood in the empty space in the Narrows alone.

"So," Harvey asked with the gun pointed at the shaky man, "You want to tell me about the Joker?"

The man smiled at Dent and did not reply to his question. Harvey felt the anger surge once again through his body, but he had to keep his temper steady. He flipped the coin and allowed it to fall against his hand. He flipped it over and revealed heads to the frightened man. The angered district attorney listened to the murderer laugh at his good fortune.

"Let's go again," Harvey suggested and readied to throw the coin back into the air again.

"I don't know anything," the man screamed in fear as he lurched forward in his binds, tears of fear fell from his eyes, "I don't!"

"You're not playing the odds friend," Harvey Dent informed him, "Let's do it again."

Harvey flipped the coin high into the dark air and watched in surprise as another hand lurched out from the darkness and caught it.

"You'd leave a man's life up to chance," the husky voice of the Batman asked.

"Not exactly," Harvey answered as he looked at the Batman that now stood between him and the crazed man that had shot Gordon.

"His name is Shef Thomas," Batman informed him, "He's a paranoid schitzophrenic, a former patient at Arkham. He's the kind that the Joker attracts. What do you expect to learn from him?"

Harvey watched as the Batman began to walk away from him.

"The Joker killed Gordon," Harvey informed the masked man as he hurried after him, "He's taken that crooked detective. He's going to kill her and then kill Rachel!"

"You're the symbol of hope that I can never be," the Batman informed him, "Your stand against organized crime is the first legitimate ray of light in Gotham in decades. If anyone saw this everything would be undone. All the criminals you pulled off the streets would be released and Jim Gordon would have died for nothing. Bagheera Lewis is going to be the Joker's undoing. She knows how to handle psychopaths. If she's still alive, we can count on her."

Harvey Dent soaked in the words that the caped crusader was telling him. He didn't truly believe that Bagheera Lewis was a clean cop, but he knew that if the Batman believed in her that he should have at least a little trust in her.

"You're going to hold a press conference tomorrow," the Batman demanded.

"Why," he asked in slight confusion.

"No one else will die because of me," the Batman answered, "Gotham's in your hands now."

"You can't," Harvey stated as the Batman walked away from him, "You can't give in. YOU CAN'T GIVE IN!"

The Batman did not turn back at his words and the anger that he felt had slightly receded.

...

The Joker jumped up and down in giddiness as the GCN news announced that the Batman was going to reveal himself to the world. He looked over to Bagheera and smiled as he looked at the binds that held her to the bed and smiled at her. He could see the contempt on her face as she watched the district attorney speaking to the residents of Gotham. He had seen the hurt in her eyes when he had forced her to watch GCN reporters try to get interviews from Gordon's family about his violent death, but contempt was by far his second favorite look on her. The blood that had stained her face from the beating that Bob had given her had been washed off after he had dramatically pretended that he was beating her to all of Gotham City.

"The little bat is going to do it," the Joker announced in astonishment as he pointed to the television and then fluttered his arms wildly as if he possessed bat wings.

"He won't," Bagheera said in a tired voice.

"What was that Baggy," the Joker asked as he walked, almost predator like, towards the bed, "You'll need to," he licked his lips, "speak louder."

"The Batman won't turn himself in for me," she informed him bitterly as she eyed his predatory stance.

"Oh," he said with a low chuckle, "I believe you, but what about for that little ADA?"

Bagheera looked away from the clown.

"Does it make you feel bad Baggy," he asked as he looked her over, his voice mocked sadness, "that a man like the Batman won't come to save you? That he can love someone as plain as Rachel Dawes while everyone condemns you," he laughed loudly as he sat down beside her and fiddled with her hair, "while the papers start telling the world about our wild night together?"

She looked back up at the clown and shook her head. A laugh escaped her as she glared daggers into his brown eyes, "No it doesn't. I don't need a man to save me," she jerked her hair out of his gloved fingers, "I don't need to worry about what the papers lie about," she smiled at him as she added, "Why do you care so much about what they say about me?"

The Joker bopped her on the nose and smiled at her as he answered, "Well I do have an image to uphold. Sleeping around and being a playboy," he shrugged his shoulders as he pushed himself away from her, "well that's Bruce Wayne's job."

Bagheera looked away from the Joker and back towards the television that he had rolled in earlier that morning to see Bruce Wayne standing on the outskirts of the crowd that were waiting patiently to hear Dent's words.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Harvey Dent announced through the television, "I've called this press conference for two reasons. Firstly to assure the citizens that everything that can be done over the Joker killings is being done. Secondly is the Batman has offered to turn himself in."

Bagheera took a deep breath as she looked away from the television and towards the clown that stood tall in front of the television.

"But first let's consider the situation," Dent suggested to the audience in the crowd, "should we surrender to this terrorist's demands," the Joker snickered, "Do we really think that he's-"

"You'd rather protect an outlaw vigilante than the lives of citizens," a female voice came from somewhere behind the many cameras.

"The Batman is an outlaw," Dent answered, "but that's not why we are demanding he turn himself in. We're doing it because we are scared."

"This is wrong," Bagheera whispered as she watched the news and shook her head. She shuddered as the Joker turned to her with a dark glint in his brown eyes.

"We've been happy to let the Batman clean up our streets until now," Harvey continued.

"Things are worse than ever," a man in the crowd yelled.

"Yes they are," the district attorney answered honestly, "but the night is darkest just before the dawn and I promise you that the dawn is coming. One day the Batman will have to answer for the laws he's broken. But to us, not to this madman."

"Did you vote for him Baggy," the Joker asked with a chuckle, "I didn't vote, but I would have. He's honest. That's what this world needs, honest people," he smiled and winked at Bagheera and turned back to the television set.

Bagheera felt a shudder of fear ripple through her body as she analyzed his words. She wondered if he knew something about her that she never told anyone.

"No more dead cops," they heard another man scream and hollers of agreement followed.

"He should turn himself in!"

"Is that what you wanted," she asked, "Entropy?"

The Joker turned to her and smiled, "I prefer the term chaos Baggy."

"So be it," Dent informed the audience, "Take the Batman into custody."

Bagheera watched with sharp eyes as the camera scanned the audience. Her eyes stopped on Bruce Wayne as he moved ever so slightly forward and then stopped.

"I am the Batman," Dent announced to the crowd. Shocked voices moved through the building and Bagheera's eyes moved away from the television set to the Joker.

"What," the Joker yelled in annoyance, disappointment filled his voice as he added, "No, no, no, no. That just won't do!"

"Did you really think that this would work," Bagheera asked, but her question landed on deaf ears as she watched the man pace around the television with anger growing visibly over his body.

Bagheera shook her head as she watched the clown pace in anger.

"They're going to take him into custody," she informed him. She felt as if she had betrayed her badge with that little tidbit of information, but she wanted to be out of this small room and she knew she stood her best chance if she could make the Joker want to leave.

She watched with hidden hope as he turned to her. She pushed herself into the bed bannister as he moved towards her with a new sense of urgency. She watched as he pulled the binds off of her.

"Get up Baggy," he demanded of her.

Bagheera slowly pushed herself off of the bed, the pain from her wound radiated once again throughout her body.

"We're gonna go for a little ride," he explained as he pushed her forward harshly.

"Ow," she hissed as he shoved her forward. Her free hand moved over her dress and she could feel her wound opening again from the sudden movement, "I'm bleeding."

The Joker ignored her words as he pushed her through the doorway and into the hall. Bagheera knew that she had lost a lot of blood and that she would need to see a doctor sooner rather than later. She could feel the warmth of her blood seeping through the dress as she was escorted down the hall by the Joker towards an old van that sat awaiting them.

"Get in Baggy" the Joker demanded as the side door opened.

"Where are we going," she asked as she was shoved violently into the van. She fell to the floor with a hard thud as the Joker followed in behind her and shut the door with a loud bang.

Bagheera felt her mind become foggy as she lay on the floor, bleeding once again from the wound that the Joker had inflicted upon her.

"Sweet dreams," she heard someone whisper to her as her eyes fluttered closed and she slipped into a silent darkness as the van took off with screeching wheels.

...

Bagheera felt her body being jerked upwards and she struggled against the hands that held her. She opened her eyes to see that Bob had her in his arms to pull her out of the van. Pain zipped through her body as she was jerked around like a rag doll in a dog's mouth.

"Let me go," she screamed as she beat her fists against his thick chest. She jerked away from him and jumped out of the van. She ignored the pain from her wounds as she looked around. A large 18 wheeler and a dump truck were parked beside them. The Joker was giggling as he inspected them. She watched as his many henchmen loaded the vehicles up with wooden crates that she knew contained some kind of weapons.

"Ah good," the Joker announced in excitement as he turned to see Bagheera standing in the emptied lot in her blood stained green gown, "you're awake!"

Bagheera ran her hands through her hair as she watched the Joker bounce towards her happily.

"I'm glad," he informed her as he moved his hands in dramatically in the air, "You missed out on a LOT of fun!"

"We blew up a firetruck," a young man informed her as he walked by her with a crate.

She looked to the Joker with concern in her eyes. She could see excitement glowing in his brown eyes. She felt as if she shrunk two the size of a child as he looked down on her, but she quickly forced herself to stand tall through the pain and uncertainty as she stood in the Joker's line of sight.

"What are you planning to do," she asked, her hand moved to her wound where she found that the blood had momentarily stopped flowing out of her like a busted piñata full of candy.

"Oh you'll see," he answered in giddiness as he pulled her forward, her bare feet moved of their own accord to follow him across the cold pavement.

Bagheera watched as he pulled her to the trailer that was attached to the 18 wheeler. On the side she could see that a painted S had been put in front of the word 'laughter' so the slogan now read "Slaughter is the best medicine". A small, disgusted smile crossed her face at the grafitti on the truck.

The Joker looked up at the height of the trailer and then to her and her wound. He leaned in close to her and whispered, "I hope you don't mind but," he swooped her into his arms in one quick movement and threw her inside, "but I think you aren't up to climbing what with that nasty wound. Ya know, you really should be more careful?"

Bagheera gasped as she landed onto the hard ground of the trailer's floor. She felt a fatigue come over her exhausted body once again as she was pulled away from the sliding doors of the side. She could hear the henchmen talking around her, but she could not make out the words that they were saying. Her tired eyes watched the man in purple closely as he looked through the large weapons cargo that they were carrying.

As the lulling sound of the tires against the pavement sounded in her ears, she felt the lethargy come over her again, but she forced herself to stay awake, to remain vigilant as the district attorney had offered as advice.

"Just as planned," she could hear the Joker announce with a large smile. She watched with silent interest as the Joker turned to her and smiled brightly at her, "Ya might want to hold on to something, Baggy."

Her brows furrowed at his words as confusion entered her tired mind. She shook her head in an attempt to shake the weakness and confusion out of her mind, but her blood loss was causing her tremendous problems within her current situation with the purple clad clown. Bagheera carefully forced herself up from her sitting stance and stumbled on weak, shaky legs as she forced herself to move towards the Joker's side where a long safety strap hung low. She lurched her hand forward and grabbed it tightly as she awaited whatever plan that he had ready.

A loud screech erupted throughout the trailer and the Joker screamed in laughter. Bagheera slipped forward and landed into the clown's side, but she quickly pulled herself away from him and kept a tight hold on the safety strap.

"What did you do," she demanded as she watched the Joker and his men gathering up the weapons from the crates.

"It's show time," a man beside her said in excitement as he readied to open the large sliding door. Bagheera's eyes widened as the door opened to reveal that they were in a high speed chase with the Gotham Police Department on Lower Fifth. Her heart beat like a tom-tom and a nauseous feeling over came her as she thought of Harvey Dent being inside the high security prisoner vehicle. He was a sitting duck inside the SWAT vehicle.

She knew that it would be her fault if the Joker did something to Harvey Dent. She had been the one to tell him that Dent would be taken to Central for booking. She had let him know how things were going to go down and she felt as if she had betrayed her life's work in that moment of realization.

Bagheera watched helplessly as the Joker and his gang began firing multiple rounds at the cars that followed them. She wanted to scream for him to stop, but words could not find their way out of her throat. She shook her head in utter disbelief as the world seemed to fly by at eighty miles an hour. She watched in dread as police cars flipped from being driven by a dead hand, she watched in uneasy pride as the Joker's many guns failed to pierce the metal of the SWAT car that she knew protected Harvey Dent. Her heart beat at what felt like an unnatural speed as the wind blew her messy hair around her, the skirt of her gown billowed in the cool air as their large truck kept even with the SWAT car.

The detective's eye widened as she watched the Joker squat to the floor and signal for his men to hand him another gun. She shook her head as she watched the Joker mount a large bazooka upon his shoulder and aimed at the car that held the district attorney.

"Joker," Bagheera said, but her soft words fell on deaf ears as she watched the clown fire the heavy artillery. Horror filled her eyes as she watched a cop car go up in flames. Tears filled her eyes as she watched her fellow officers being massacred by the madman that had kept her alive through all of this.

She watched as he began to fire another shot, this time taking out the second police car that had swerved in front of the car that protected Harvey Dent.

"Stop," Bagheera demanded as the sound of metal collided with pavement. The sound penetrated her ears and she felt as if her ears would begin to bleed any moment.

The 18 wheeler bounced with a sudden jerk and caused Bagheera to lose her footing and lost her tight grip on the safety strap. She fell onto her side as the Joker lost his own footing, but he recovered quicker than she did. She watched from her fallen angle as he aimed again. She reached her shaking hand out towards him. She knew that she would have to stop him in some way. She knew it was a risk, she could die and never be known for anything. She would be just another one of the Joker's victims if she reached out to him and jerked him away from his mission.

She grabbed at his shoulder, taking the risk, and began to jerk him backwards, but he still managed to pull the trigger as she jerked on his jacket. A large, stealthy vehicle lunged between the SWAT car and their truck and took the blow from the bazooka. Bagheera felt shards from the impact moving around them as the Joker fell back into her. His elbow collided into her abdomen and opened her wound even wider. She screamed in pain and tears freely fell down her eyes as the Joker lay with his back on top of her.

"Get off," she screamed as she beat on the Joker's shoulders, "get off! Get off!"

She shoved his heavy weight off of her and rolled away from the opened door. The pain surged inside of her as she watched the Joker get to his feet again with wild, manic laughter escaping from his rather healthy lungs. The truck came to a quick stop and the SWAT car sped quickly away from them. Bagheera let out an audible sigh of relief as she rolled over onto her back and looked up to the ceiling of the trailer. Her hand moved absently through her wild hair as she listened to the Joker bark orders at his henchmen.

"Get up," he demanded of Bagheera and grabbed her by the elbow, "We aren't finished just yet," he popped his T, "and I ugh…want you to ride shotgun with lil ol' me!"

Bagheera felt her weary body being pulled off of the hard floor by the Joker's tight grip. She knew his hands would leave bruises upon her upper arm later, but her body allowed him to pull her up from her laying position, she hadn't fought him, she felt helpless in her current situation. Her dress tangled between her bare feet and she tripped as he jerked her forward.

"Are ya always this clumsy, Detective," Joker asked as he pulled her closer to him, his voice took on a sing song quality as he whispered in her ear, "It's not a verryyy _attractive_ feature for a wild cat like you to have, Baggy."

She could smell sweat, gasoline, and blood on his clothes as they moved in such closeness. Her heart still beat like a tom-tom in her chest as the Joker pulled her, this time in a more gentle, yet clumsier way out of the trailer. Her bare feet felt the shards of glass under her weight. She bit at her lips as the glass bit into her thin skin and sliced thin, but deep crevices into her feet.

"Stop this," she whispered as he pulled her towards the cab. She could see the driver with his head lulled onto the steering wheel with blood everywhere, "Dent isn't the Batman. You know that. What are you trying to prove to the world?"

Her words fell on deaf ears once again as she was pulled upwards into the damaged cab. His tight grip on her upper arm loosened as he crawled across the seats towards the dead driver.

"Excuse me," the Joker said as he pushed his way through the wreckage, "I want to drive."

Bagheera watched in disgusted interest as he unbuckled the man's seat belt and shoved him out the door. She settled herself into the seat beside him and watched him carefully.

The Joker turned to her with a wolfish grin and winked at her.

"What," she asked in disgust.

"Seat belt dollface," he informed her as he started the large truck. It purred like it had never been hit by shrapnel from the Bat Mobile. The Joker moved with swift movements, careful not to touch her more intimate areas without her permission, as he jerked her seat belt over her chest and fastened it tightly as if he were a concerned father.

"It's going to be a uh bumpy ride," he informed her with a glint in his brown eyes, "and we're gonna need to uh get that," he pointed to her wound in her lower abdomen, "looked at for ya. I wouldn't want ya to die on me, now would I?"

"Why are you doing this," she asked as the truck lurched forward. She moaned softly as the pain from her abdomen and her feet moved through her body from the sudden lurch of the truck, "I'm not special. Why don't you just kill me too?"

The Joker laughed at her question, but ignored her as he continued forward. Bagheera fell back into her seat and watched the scenery move quickly passed them as they drove out of the underground tunnel.

As they entered the main street above ground, Bagheera watched as the Joker became erratic in his behavior. She took a deep breath and watched as the SWAT car did its best to stay out of the Joker's direct path.

"I like this job," the Joker billowed as he drove, "I **really **like this job!"

The Joker turned after the SWAT car and Bagheera watched his dark eyes move from the car to something in the air. She looked out the window with weak eyes as a bright light shown into her eyes. She could hear the recognizable sound of helicopter blades ripping through the air. Her heart fell at the realization that if the helicopters were armed that she would be killed along with the clown beside her and then their bodies would be horribly mangled in the wreckage that would occur afterwards.

"You need to stop this," she begged of him as she turned to look at him. The light from the helicopter seemed to add a sparkle in her eyes as she looked at the Joker with a pleading worry in them. She watched as the Joker removed a wireless radio from the inner pockets of his coat and she shook her head and looked away from him.

"Okay rack 'em up," the Joker announced into the radio, "Rack 'em up, rack 'em up!"

Her brows furrowed once again in confusion at his strange order and she saw through the corner of her eyes that the Joker was smiling at her as she looked towards the helicopter ahead of them. She watched in horror as the helicopter suddenly and violently whipped to the side and spun out of control towards the ground. Her heart sank as the helicopter landed onto the ground in a ball of fire and metal as they continued on after the SWAT car.

"Oh my God," she whispered under her breath as she placed her hands against her mouth. She shook her head in utter disbelief as they continued on. She couldn't look over to the man beside her as she thought about the officers that had been in the chopper. The sound of his laughter faded away as panic finally overtook her. Her breaths became harder and harder to take as she sat, seemingly alone, in the truck's cab. Her face paled as they passed the wreckage and her heart beat quicker as she felt as if she were suffocating inside the truck beside the crazed clown.

"I'm a bad cop," she whispered through her sharp breaths. She looked over to the Joker and shook her head as tears fell from her eyes freely, "I'm not a good cop," she shook her head at her own admission, "I'm a bad cop. They'll think that I-"

The Joker looked at her with a seemingly triumphant smile on his face as he watched the panic overcome her finally. His eyes were quickly taken away from the broken detective beside him and back onto the road as the Batman finally made his appearance.

"Now there's the Batman," he announced and then turned to look at Bagheera, "And you thought he wouldn't come and save ya?!"

Bagheera took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves as she watched in silence as the Batman made his way towards them as if to play Chicken with the Joker.

"Oohh, you wanna play," the Joker said to the Batman as they barreled towards each other, "Come on. Come on."

Bagheera kept her eyes open as the Batman swiftly moved passed them. She watched in her rear view mirror as the vigilante zipped underneath the trailer and she shook her head.

"He missed," the Joker yelled in astonishment and looked at her momentarily in shock.

She shook her head as she looked back at him and replied, "No he didn't."

The Joker watched as his panicked detective grabbed on tightly to the door handle and onto her seat belt. His brows furrowed at her movements.

"Hold on," she warned and closed her eyes just as the truck lurched violently and flipped trailer over cab onto its back. The sound of the metal screeching across the pavement and hitting civilians cars rattled through the cab as they bounced around inside.

The truck came to a dramatic stop and the two leaned against each other. Bagheera's seat belt had come unlatched during the slide and she had fallen against the roof of the cab with the Joker beside her, their heads had banged together during the flip and they lay side by side together limp momentarily on the ceiling of the cab. The Joker awoke first and looked to Bagheera. He smiled at her wounded, but still strong, appearance as her eyes slowly fluttered open in a daze.

"Just stay here," he demanded of her as he grabbed his forgotten gun under the seat and pushed himself out of the wreckage.

Bagheera could hear his slight groan of pain as he pulled himself out of the wreckage with his gun in tow. Her head hurt as she tried to follow after him, but the pain that she was feeling had now become unbearable. She laid there in the wreckage and listened closely to what was going to unfurl between the Joker and the Batman.

Several shots from his gun popped throughout the air and she jumped from the suddenness of the noise. She took a deep breath as she continued to listen to the sounds of the gun shots. Her heart seemed to be beating loudly in her head as she lay there alone in the broken truck.

"Hit me," she heard the Joker scream and the sounds of metal falling against the pavement once more. It was becoming a sound that she hated as she thought about it. Her hand moved against her wound and she could feel fresh blood seeping through her gown once again.

She heard the sound of one of his henchmen shriek and the sound of the Joker's laughter afterwards and she knew that something had gone wrong for the Batman. Her eyes moved around the empty cab and she smiled as she spied a familiar object. During their projectile landing, her gun had somehow fallen out of the Joker's pockets. She smiled as she grabbed the forgotten gun and held it tightly in her hands as she forced herself to inch her way out of the wreckage of the cab. Her body pleaded against her movements, but she ignored the pleas as she found her way out of the broken window. She pushed herself out of the window and laid out on the concrete pavement to take a deep breath in an attempt to curb the pain.

Bagheera could see the Joker jumping up and down in glee and laughing as he looked down at what she assumed to be the Batman. She pushed herself up with a whispered groan and slowly made her way down the length of the wrecked trailer. As she came closer to the Joker, she could see him kneeled over an unconscious Batman with his knife at his throat.

"Don't move," Bagheera demanded through clinched teeth as she swayed in her stance, the pain seemed to radiate through her body. Her eyes were dark as she glared at him with the gun pointed to his head.

The Joker laughed at her and kept his place on top of the Batman, yet again ignoring her demands.

"Now Baggy," the Joker chided as if she were a child, "Let's not do anything rash."

Bagheera stepped closer towards him on her wobbly legs, but she kept her gun trained on him, "I said don't _fucking _move."

"Ya already shot me once," he said with a chuckle, "You aren't going to get away with it again."

"I caught you," she informed him in anger, "You have nowhere to run now."

Bagheera watched silently as the business end of a shot gun touched the back of the Joker's head and she felt a moment of triumph come over her as she looked to see a police officer holding the gun. The Joker groaned in anger at the sudden intrusion.

"Can you give me just a minute," the Joker asked as the officer shoved him off of the Batman and onto the pavement.

Bagheera watched as the officer removed his helmet and threw it to the side. Her eyes widened as she saw the features of her recently deceased boss.

"We got you, you son of a bitch," Gordon said in anger.

Bagheera felt a sudden electricity buzz through her and her mind felt heavy as she watched the Joker drop his stiletto that he had placed against the Batman's neck. Her world fell into darkness and her legs gave way to gravity. She fell with a loud thud onto the concrete beside the Batman and the Joker laughed as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"Ya got a good cop there Gordon," the Joker announced through his chuckles, "Ya know," the Joker lipped his lips, "she was the one that _really _caught me," his words were predatory, "It's only fair that she should get the ugh… credit."

* * *

**So I based Bagheera's panic attacks on my own, they don't ever last really long (a minute has been my longest attack and it was horrible because I was driving) and I've read fics were people have panic attacks for ever before coming back to rational thought, which people do have those, but I wanted to right what I know. Plus, I feel like she is a professional, but a professional can only go so far and see so much before their coolness escapes them.**

**So what did you think of this chapter? I actually really liked writing this chapter. I love the Joker/Bagheera interactions. **

**What do you think about Joker telling Gordon that Bagheera should get credit?**

**I am really excited for the ending of this story though! There is going to be a twist ending that none of you will ever guess because I have never seen it happen in any Joker fic that I have found on here! I wish I could just tell you the twist, that's how excited I am for it!**

**As always I love reviews and I love love LOVE hearing your thoughts and questions and theories and whatever else you want to throw at me :)**


	9. Crane Family Values

**Chapter 9: Crane Family Values**

Jim Gordon rushed back into the police station. Ramirez had texted him to come back after he came home to his grieving family. The revelation had been a heartbreaking one for him and his wife. She had been angry with him for the lies, but relieved that he was still alive and healthy. He had been named Police Commissioner by the mayor as the Joker watched only an hour ago and he could still see the Joker clapping with a look of dark amusement on his face. He knew it was a look that he would never be able to rid his mind of for all of his days.

He burst through the doors and looked at his specialized team, minus Bagheera Lewis, with worry on his face. He didn't want anything to cause them to lose the Joker. Bagheera had made sure that he was brought to them and he was going to make sure that she received the credit for her job. He made sure that every cop and criminal stayed away from the clown. He did not want to lose him because of some wise guy mob lawyer. He was on a mission to put the madman away that had killed dozens of innocent citizens and political servants and hospitalized a good cop.

"Has he said anything," Gordon asked of the man that had no matching finger prints or links to a life before he worn the clown make up like war paint and wreaked havoc on Gotham with the ferocity of an Old World warrior. There was nothing they could find on him.

Ramirez shook her head as the simple answer. She watched as her boss walked into the highly guarded and highly secure holding cell that he had been taken to after being rid of his many weapons. Gordon opened the door as a buzzing noise introduced his presence to the clown that was sitting in the dimly lit room. The only furniture in the small interrogation room was a table that was bolted to the floor and two chairs, one for the criminal and one for the interviewer. A two way mirror was the only decoration in the small room.

"Ev-a-ning Cah-mission-ER," the Joker lolled out lazily as Gordon walked deeper into the dark interrogation room and sat down in the free chair across the table. The Joker watched in amusement as the man wiped an unseen particle of dust from the table as he sat down.

"Harvey Dent never made it home," Gordon said with a level tone as he looked the Joker in the eyes.

"Of course not," Joker answered simply with a shrug of his wide shoulders.

"What have you done with him?"

"Me," the Joker asked in mock confusion, his voice mimicked that of a confused child as he spoke to the new commissioner of Gotham, "I was right here," he lifted his cuffed hands up for a reminder, "Who did you leave him with," he pointed to Gordon and gave a small, knowing smile, "Hmmm," he licked his painted lips, "Your people? Assuming of course that they are still your people, and not Maroni's. You still have Detect-ave Lewis, but she's in Gotham General," he smiled as he watched a small sparkle of fear shine in Gordon's eyes, "Does it depress you Commissioner," his voice lowered significantly, "to know how alone you really are? Does it make you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current pre-dic-a-ment?"

"Where is he," Gordon asked in a steady voice, but inside he was growing weary of the clown's knowing words.

"What's the time," Joker asked quickly.

"What difference does that make?"

"Well," the Joker said with a smile as he leaned in towards the table, "depending on the time, he may be in one spot or several."

Gordon smiled at him with a knowing glint in his eyes as he pulled the handcuff keys out of his jacket pocket, "If we are going to play games," he unlocked the cuffs and jerked them off his dirty wrists, "I'm going to need a cup of coffee."

"Ahh the good cop, bad cop routine? Baggy already showed me her bad cop," the Joker announced with a growing smile as he watched the new commissioner walk away from him and towards the door.

"Not exactly," Gordon answered honestly as the buzzer sounded again and the door opened, allowing him to make his exit.

The Joker licked his lips as he sat in the dimly lit room alone once again. It only took a moment for the bright lights to turn on and for a hand to shove his head into the hard table in front of him. The pain rushed through him as his brain rattled in his skull.

He groaned and grabbed at his throbbing forehead with a free hand and blinked to see the Batman now standing in front of him.

"Never start with the head," the Joker informed him, "The victim gets all fuzzy. They can't feel the next-"

The vigilante punched down hard on the Joker's exposed hand that lay on the table, but the Joker did not flinch. He rolled his eyes under his closed eyes and looked back to the Batman as the fuzziness recoiled out of his head.

"See," he said with a proud smirk as he looked to the masked man.

"You wanted me," the Batman said in his husky voice as he glared at the killer clown, "Here I am."

"I wanted to see what you'd do," the Joker answered in a contained, calm tone as he sized the Batman up, "and ya didn't disappoint! You let five people die, you let a good detective get taken all for the safety of one little mayor and the uh," he smiled to himself, "the unblemished DA. Then you let Dent take your place," he licked his lips as he glared at the man in front of him, "Even to a guy like me that is cold!"

"Where's Dent," Batman asked, ignoring the clown's words of truth.

"Those mob fools want you gone so they can get back to the way things were," the Joker said as he fluttered his hands about for emphasis, he rolled his eyes slightly and licked at his scars on the inside of his mouth, "But I know the truth. There's no goin' back. You've changed things," he looked around momentarily before adding, "Forever."

"Then why do you want to kill me?"

The Joker burst out in manic, uncontrollably loud laughter at the question that he had been asked. He did not understand why they thought he was out to kill the people that he found the most interesting. Bagheera had thought he was going to kill her, and now the Batman thought the very same thought.

"I don't want to kill you," he said in glee as his chuckles slowly ceased, "What would I do without you? Go back to rippin' off mob dealers," he shook his head as he scratched at his shoulder, "No. No. No," he leaned closer to the table to get a better look at the Batman's face, "No, you…complete…me."

"You're garbage who kills for money," the Batman informed him harshly.

"Don't talk like one of them," the Joker answered defensively, "You're not! Even Bags doesn't talk like them! Even if you'd both like to be," the Joker glanced over to the two way mirror and then quickly placed his eyes back on the masked man that sat across the table from him, "To them you are just a freak…like me," his voice took on a childish quality when he referred to himself as a freak, "They need you right now," he looked back to the mirror and then back to Batman with a knowing glint in his eyes, "But when they don't, they'll cast you out…like a leper. See their _morals_, their _code…_it's a bad joke. You'll be dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you," he stared into the Batman to emphasis his point, "when the chips are down, these uh…these _civilized _people, they'll eat each other."

The Joker smiled as he pulled away from the Batman and leaned back in his chair comfortably as he added, "See I'm not a monster, I'm just ahead of the curve."

The Batman shoved himself out of his chair and grabbed the Joker by his vest and jerked him across the table. He held the clown in the air so his feet dangled a foot above the concrete floor of the interrogation room.

"Where's Dent," the Batman asked again, his voice was husky and growing tired of waiting for a straight answer from the Joker.

"You have all these rules," the Joker said, "You'd think that that will save you."

He shoved the Joker into the cinder block wall. Anger coursed through his veins, but he had to keep it under control.

"I have one rule," Batman informed the deranged man he held by the throat against the wall.

"Then that's the one rule that you are going to have to break to know the truth," the Joker replied with an amused smile, his yellow teeth gleamed in the bright light.

"Which is?"

"The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules," the Joker answered, his voice darkened as he added, "And tonight you're going to break your one rule."

"I'm considering it."

"Oh, there's only minutes left," the Joker said as he held onto the Batman's arm as he dangled in the air, "So you're goin' to have to play my little game if you want to…save one of _them._"

"Them," Batman asked in anger and confusion.

"Ya know for a while there," the Joker replied with a softened voice, "I thought you really were Dent," he adjusted his weight as he dangled in midair, "the way you threw yourself after her-"

He began to chuckle, but the angry vigilante jerked him away from the wall and flipped him backwards onto the hard table. The Joker slammed hard against the metal and gasped only momentarily for a catch of air. As he caught his breath, loud chuckles escaped his lungs as he listened to the man dressed as a bat walk towards the door. He could hear a chair being grated against the concrete floor and shoved under the door handle to keep the commissioner and his lackeys out of their business.

"Look at you go," the Joker announced as he began to push himself off of the table and crack his back to rid himself of the small pain that radiated through his backbone, "Does Harvey know about you and his lil bo-?"

Batman grabbed the Joker by the back of his neck and shoved him hard into the two way mirror. The Joker's forehead busted the mirror and tiny shards of glass fell to the floor as he collapsed to the floor.

"**WHERE ARE THEY**," the Batman screamed.

"Killing me is making a choice," the Joker informed him just as the Batman punched him square in the jaw.

"**WHERE ARE THEY?!"**

"Choose between one life or the other," the Joker demanded with a smile as he lay on the floor with blood slowly dripping from his busted lip, "Your friend the district attorney or blushing bride to be!"

The Joker broke out into a fit of giggles as the vigilante lost his control and punched him again. His giggles turned into loud, uncontrollable laughter as he rolled onto the floor as the pain radiated through him.

"You have nothing," the Joker informed him as he pulled himself back into a sitting position against the wall and looked up at the angered man, "nothing to threaten me with, nothing to do with all your strength!"

Batman lunged at him and grabbed him by his lapels once again, successfully jerking the clown off of the stained floor.

"But don't worry," the Joker answered as he shook his head and looked into the angered eyes of the Batman, "I'm gonna tell ya where they are! Both of them. And that's the point. You'll have to choose."

The Batman listened to the addresses that the Joker had given them and shoved him away. The Joker chuckled as he watched the masked vigilante hurry away from him, leaving him alone with his hands free in the small holding cell laughing.

...

Bagheera opened her weary eyes to see a bright light looking down at her as if it were trying to blind her. She could make the appearances of men and women in white medical masks. She could feel a calmness splash over her body, no pain radiated through her as she looked up to the ceiling. Small stains of old blood that had been forgotten littered the white panels above her. She could hear the nurses speaking to the doctors, but she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. She knew that it had to be about her stab wound.

"Detective Lewis," the voice sounded far off, but she could see that it was coming from the handsome doctor that stood at her side. She blinked at his words as she looked into his deep green eyes.

"I'm Dr. Blinn," he informed her, his voice was slowly becoming louder as she focused on him. Her eyes were weary but she forced them to stay open so she could know what was going on with her own body.

"You've lost some blood," he informed her, "We were told that you were O+. Is that correct?"

She nodded for the doctor. She could hear the nurses working quickly around her, the constant beeping from the many machines around her sounded like some far off sirens in the distance. A cold metallic object touched her skin and glided through what she knew to be her green dress. She could feel the bitter chill from the hospital's air conditioner move over her body as the nurses cut her dress so they could get to the wound on her lower stomach.

"Bagheera," the doctor asked as he looked over her now exposed body to see the bumps and bruises that she had received from her time with the dangerous Clown Prince of Crime, "We need to know if we," he stopped as he looked down at the ghastly, red wound that she carried on her abdomen, "Jesus!"

Bagheera groaned as felt fingers prodding around her wound and the many cuts and bruises on her exposed body.

"Are we going to need to perform a rape kit," he asked as he looked into her weak blue eyes.

The detective shook her head, her wild hair moved around her as she moved, and said weakly in defense of the clown that had placed her in the hospital, "No."

"Okay," Dr. Blinn answered with a nod as he slightly moved away from her line of sight, "We're going to put you under and take care of this nasty gash," he watched as she nodded, "We're going to put the mask on you now."

Bagheera looked up at the ceiling as the mask moved over her face. She could smell the gas that they were pumping with her along with the oxygen that the tank beside the bed would provide her while she was under. Her eyes grew heavier than they had been while she was with the Joker and her eyes closed as if she were dead to the world. While she was under and the surgery progressed, she was oblivious to the explosions that occurred in the distance, explosions that were going to place her right back in the Joker's pathway again.

...

"I want my phone call," the Joker announced as he sat like a young child on the floor of the small interrogation room that doubled as a holding cell for the moment, "I want it. I want it," he looked over to the male detective that stood in front of the door as a guard, "I want my one phone call."

"That's nice," he answered in a bored tone.

The Joker lipped his lips as he turned his eyes away from his little guard friend for the moment and asked, "How many of your friends have I killed?"

He looked back to the detective with hard eyes and watched in contained glee as the man took a deep breath and looked to the floor to collect his anger.

"I'm a twenty year man," he answered, "and I know the difference between punks that need a little lesson in manners and the _freaks_ like you that just enjoy it."

Joker lipped at his lips and rolled his eyes. He didn't have to deal with rudeness and name calling from Detective Lewis. Now she was a good cop. She knew how to interact with him, even if she didn't know it herself. She wasn't disrespectful and didn't throw around harsh words like this other Gordon lackey did.

"And you killed six of my friends," the detective answered in bitterness.

"Six," the Joker mouthed in shock.

The Joker smiled as a silence came over the two of them. The silence was tugging at him. Time was of the essence for him.

"Do you wanna know why I use a knife," he asked of the detective that stood in front of him and freedom.

The man didn't answer so he continued on unperturbed, "Guns are too quick. You can't savor," he shook his head as Bagheera's reactions entered his mind, "all the _little _emotions," he smiled at the cop while he thought of his little panther and how she had fell into him and held onto his pants while she slipped into unconsciousness, "Ya see in their last moments, people show you who they really are," he held back his smile, Bagheera had fallen into him revealing to him that she did not want to be alone, he could see the fear of dying alone in her eyes as she had looked up at him from the dirty ally floor, "so in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did," the Joker smiled and added underhandedly, "Would you like to know which of them were cowards?"

Bagheera hadn't been. She had fought him, she had done whatever she could to survive, but she had been brave about it…and smart. He had never seen intelligence in a potential victim of his before.

The Joker glared at the detective and waited patiently for the officer to make a move that would give him the perfect opportunity to escape. He watched with a poker face as the detective rolled up his sleeves as he moved away from the door. The Joker slowly reached for the forgotten shard of glass on the floor, unknowingly to the watchman, and waited for his opportunity.

"I know you're going to enjoy this," the detective informed him with a gruff voice that attempted to hide the anger that he was feeling, "I'm going to have to try and enjoy it even more."

The Joker saw his opportunity as the man swung forward. He swiftly lurched his arm around the man and held the sharp shard of glass against his jugular. He couldn't help the chuckle of triumph that escaped him as he leaned into his ear.

"Oh shush, shush, shush," the Joker whispered and pushed the man towards the door, "I'd like to reminisce on old buddies, but I do have prior engagements," he pointed to the door, "so if ya don't mind opening the door there."

The detective did as he was told as the glass shard bit into his skin. A thin red line of blood escaped him and ran down his neck as he was shoved forward towards the other holding cells of the Gotham Police Department. Officers pulled their weapons on the Joker and his hostage as they came into view.

"Put the weapon down now," a male officer demanded with his gun pointed at the Joker.

"Let him go now," another officer demanded as the Joker held his hostage close. He smiled as he listened to their demands.

"What," the Joker asked as he looked to his poor hostage.

"What do you want," the young officer asked as he pointed his shaking gun at the clown.

The Joker looked at him with a sparkle in his eyes as he answered like a sane, middle class working man that had been brought in over a misunderstanding with a neighbor, "I just want my phone call."

"Alright," the officer answered as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket as he watched the glass shard against his superior's throat closely. He threw the phone to the Joker who caught it in midair.

The officers watched in confusion as the Joker dialed out. They could hear the beep of the other phone, but there was no answer. The Joker smiled wickedly at the officers as the room shook and filled with smoke as his bomb that he had surgically inserted into a petty thief went off in a jail cell underneath them. The Joker threw his hostage to the side as useless paperwork flew around him from the strength of the blast. He smiled as he looked around to see all of the armed officers laying on the floor unconscious from the blast.

He smiled as he bounced away from the mess and towards the holding cells were he would find a squealer that the Batman had taken from him. He would deal with the Chinese mob banker and then go check on Bagheera in the hospital. He had already picked out the perfect outfit to see her in.

"Well hello there," he said with a smile as he jingled the cell keys in his hands as he approached the cell of Lou.

...

Two days had passed since the explosion that had killed Rachel Dawes and disfigured Harvey Dent. Bagheera Lewis lay in a hospital bed in Gotham General Hospital. She slept peacefully with a thin, blue blanket covering her body. The constant beeping from the machine beside her bed lolled her out of her sleeping state. She opened her eyes slowly and felt the morning sun on her skin that poked in through the plastic shades that covered the window that looked over the parking lot of the hospital.

She felt a gaze on her and she looked around her private room to see William Barba sitting in the chair beside her with his chin touching his chest as he dozed in an uncomfortable position. She eyed the small hospital room and smiled as she noticed his brown jacket laying across her the bottom of her bed atop her feet. He wore dark brown trousers and a white and brown pinstriped button up shirt. His bland tie was pulled away from his neck. He looked as if he had not slept well in a few days as she took in his appearance. She looked to the floor where a file lay forgotten on the floor with her last name printed in dark letters on the side panel.

"Mr. Barba," she asked in confusion as she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, careful to avoid pulling out the stitches again.

Bagheera smiled as she watched him jerk his head up and blink quickly. She smiled at him as he looked at her with slight embarrassment in his eyes.

"You just couldn't resist me could you," she asked as she eyed his tired eyes and his rumpled clothes, "Where's Frick?"

William Barba smiled at her and stood from the chair as he replied in slight confusion, "Frick?"

Bagheera smiled at the man's confusion and explained, "Harvey Dent. He's Frick and you're Frack. I'd expected him to be here to witness you questioning me."

Barba looked away from her and towards the door. A solemn grimace fell upon his handsome face as he turned to look back at the hospitalized detective.

"Harvey Dent was in an accident," Barba informed her solemnly.

"Oh my God," Bagheera said, her eyes fell away from the IA agent and shook her head in disbelief, "Is he okay?"

"He was disfigured," Barba answered her as he watched her facial and emotional responses, "He is refusing pain killers and skin grafts," he paused for a moment and looked to the floor, "Rachel Dawes didn't make it."

Bagheera shook her head in disbelief and asked, "How did it happen?"

William Barba looked back up to her and replied honestly as he stared into her blue eyes, "The Joker kidnapped them. It was an explosion. Rachel died instantly. The Batman saved Harvey."

A look of confusion came over her face as his words sunk in. The Joker had murdered the ADA and attempted to murder the DA.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she looked to the man that had visited her.

"It happened right after you brought the Joker in," he informed her, his voice became livelier in an attempt to change the solemn atmosphere that had entered the small hospital room, "You're a hero, Detective Lewis."

"Bagheera," she corrected with a small smile, "Call me Bagheera."

"Bagheera," he said as he tasted her exotic name on his tongue, he chuckled as he asked, "You never thought of having that named changed?"

She shook her head and said with a smile, "I kind of like being named after a Disney character," she shrugged her shoulders and added, "I guess I should start finding a good deal on a flight to the Bahamas since I'll be starting my vacation soon."

Barba looked at her and shook his head and asked, "How long have you been out?"

"I'm not exactly sure," she answered, "This is the first time I've been fully awake. Why?"

"You were in here for half the night before the Joker escaped," William Barba informed her, "He blew up the holding cells with a homemade bomb inserted into a man's gut."

Fear filled Bagheera's heart, but she kept it from her eyes, as she thought of the Joker being free once again. Her hand moved towards her mouth and she shook her head in disbelief.

"He got Lou," she asked.

"Yes."

"He's gonna kill him," she informed Barba, her old accent slipped momentarily as she sat in his presence, "then he's going to come back for me."

"He's not. I promise you, he's not going to hurt you again," he said in reassurance as he grabbed at her pale hand and held it tightly in his own momentarily before realizing that he had overstepped his bounds with her as he felt a shiver run through her arm, "I'm sorry."

Bagheera shook her head as she felt his warm hand leave hers as she said warmly, "Don't be."

A silence entered the small room as they looked to each other, examining each other, trying to figure the other one out in their minds.

"What brought you here, Mr. Barba," she asked as she looked down to the forgotten file on the floor, "You've been the first person to visit me and by the looks of your clothes you look like you've been here for a while," she watched a look of confusion cross his features before she added, "I'm good at what I do."

"I wanted to see you," he answered honestly, he chuckled as he added, "Plus I wanted to see if the Joker had dressed you up in clown make up," he smiled as he looked to her cut up dress that a nurse had brought to her while she was sleeping, "the dress was a surprise though. Bruce Wayne couldn't get you out of those boring clothes, but I find it fantastic that the Joker was able to get you into a dress where Gotham's playboy could not! I'm certainly jealous of that sharp suit he wears," he shrugged his shoulders as he smiled at Bagheera brightly, "I mean for a crazed clown, he has some damned good style."

Bagheera felt the laughter escape from deep inside of her. It was a laugh that she hadn't allow escape her since she had come home to Gotham City. As she laughed, the pain radiated through her body enough to cause her minimal discomfort. She didn't want to end the jelly feeling inside of her as the sound escaped her. The sound of William Barba's own laughter was music to her ears when placed up against the Joker's horrible, unnerving laughter.

"Oh ow," she cried as she wiped the tears from laughing so hard out of her eyes, "Don't make me laugh."

"I'm sorry," Barba said through his own chuckles as he looked her over. He smiled down at her as she lay upon the hospital bed, happy to see that she was in much better spirits.

"Let's play a game," Bagheera said as she took a deep breath to end her soft chuckles. She watched as a look of confusion came over the man's face, "It's called 'What's in the Folder?'."

Barba looked down to the forgotten files then back at her with a guilty look upon his face as if he were a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His eyes softened as he looked at the mysterious woman that had survived the Joker's abduction.

"I did a little digging into your background," he informed her, "after you told me about Crane."

"And what did you find," Bagheera asked as she eyed him closely, her heart beat quickly in her heart, thinking that he had discovered the secrets of her past that she had kept hidden for so long.

"It was mostly doctor files," he answered, "and your school records from teachers and other administrations."

"How did you find them," she asked with furrowed brows.

"It wasn't hard," he said with a shrug as he sat back down in the chair and pulled the file into his lap, "I'm good at what I do too."

She nodded in satisfaction of his answer and asked, "And what did those files say?"

"It's what they didn't say," he answered, "Your parents died and you were sent to live with your grandmother and Jonathon Crane who lived with her as an orphan as well."

Bagheera felt her heart drop at the word 'orphan'. It made her feel alone in the world, a feeling that she had never loved to have.

"Yeah," she said simply as she bit at her bottom lip in anxiousness, "She beat him on a regular basis. She could barely stand to look at him."

"You broke your arm twice, your collar bone," he informed her as he continued through the files, "and multiple teachers wrote that you had been covered in bruises all the way up until high school. She beat you too."

Bagheera's brows furrowed and she shook her head as she recalled all of her teachers asking where her bruises had come from, she could remember every lie that she had told them.

"No," she answered softly, "She didn't beat me."

William Barba looked at her with confusion that slowly melted into understanding. His features softened as he watched her look down at her hands that she twiddled. He felt sorry for ever bringing up her past. He wished that he would have just left it alone, but it was his job to investigate her connection to Crane when it had been brought to his attention that she had visited with him at Arkham.

"He beat you because she didn't beat you. He resented it and wanted you to feel the same pain he did," he replied, "but it stopped after you both entered high school."

She nodded replied, "She would tie him up in the old barn for days during the summer. Scarecrows were constantly pecking at him out there. She never knew, but I'd sneak out there and bring him some water and some food, " she blinked back the tears as she thought of those summer days of her youth, "after that he'd beat me for trying to help him," she shrugged her shoulders and added, "He was bullied in high school to the point that he wanted to drop out," she shook her head and allowed a solemn smile to come across her lips, "even though he had hurt me, I couldn't let him do that. There was still some good inside of him and he was so smart, so smart. I knew he was sick, but I believed that he could get better if he was able to get out of there."

"How did you forgive him after everything," Barba asked, genuinely interested in what she had to say, "Administrators wrote that you two were seemingly inseparable in high school."

"We were both orphans," she informed the IA agent, her blue eyes were soft as she recalled her high school career, "We were still Cranes. We only had each other there for a while so we both encouraged each other in high school to be the best that we could be. Crane wanted to be a doctor and I wanted to put people in prison that harmed others," she shrugged her shoulders, "We're still family. I can't just forget about him, I've never forgiven him, but I can't just ignore him or what he has become."

"Did he ever do experiments on you?"

"I was the first experiment," she said with a sad, uncomfortable smile, "He would see the fear when he hurt me and he enjoyed it. He didn't need the fear toxin back then. Hurting me fed his addiction while we were young."

"Thank you Bagheera," Barba whispered as he placed his hand over hers once again and squeezed it lightly, "I'm sorry I had to bring this up."

"No," she said softly and shook her head, "No. It's okay. I don't like to talk about it, but it's good, ya know? It's good to finally get it off my chest. Thank you, Mr. Barba."

He smiled at her and replied, "Call me Will."

"Will," she replied, tasting his name on her tongue, as she lay down as the man began to collect his jacket from her feet.

"Can I see you again," he asked as he pulled his jacket on. His eyes sparkled with hope as he awaited her answer.

"I'll be right here," she answered and gave him a soft smile, her blue eyes sparkled as she gazed into his eyes, "I'd like that…as long as you are buying."

Barba chuckled at her answer and nodded as he turned away from her, "Get some rest."

"The Joker," she started to say as he walked towards the door.

"You'll be safe here, Bagheera. I promise."

* * *

**So I tried to put in a soft element for Bagheera in this chapter. I was originally going to have her wake up alone, but that was kind of boring. So I thought about Barba and decided that we needed to know about the Jonathon/Bagheera connection. What do you think about it? **

**What do you think about Barba? We're going to get to know a little about him as this story progresses and later into the sequel that I have planned. I really want your opinions on him.**

**And the Joker...will he come after her? Will he take her?**

**Give me your thoughts people! I've uploaded three chapters in one week I want to hear what you think of my story so far :)**


	10. Up in Flames

**Chapter 10: Up in Flames**

**So there's a scene I use (I tweaked it a bit for this story though) that is used in The Joker Blogs on Youtube. Seriously, if you haven't watched them, do it. They are amazing! **

* * *

Bagheera set up slightly in her hospital bed, morphine dripped slowly through the tubes the connected to her arm. She watched in relaxation as the TV drowned out the sounds of the constant beeping. The blue sky looked back at her outside of her window that looked over the parking lot. She felt stronger and she hoped that she would soon be getting out to finish her job of bringing in the Joker. She had survived him once; she had faith that she could survive another run in with him, though the thought did send a faint shiver of fear down her spine.

"He's a credible source," the news anchor of GCN echoed throughout her small hospital room, "An attorney from a prestigious consultancy and he says he's waited as long as he can for the Batman to do the right thing," Bagheera jerked her attentions away from the blue skies of Gotham and towards the television, "and now he's taking matters into his own hands. We'll be live at five with the true identity of the Batman."

She shook her head as she looked to the recording of the lawyer on the news promo. She couldn't believe that a citizen would actually reveal who their caped crusader was to the Joker after the sacrifice that their brave district attorney had made for them. In her heart, she knew that Gotham was a place that would never be saved no matter how hard the righteous cops at the Gotham PD and the Batman tried to hope it was worth saving.

Bagheera's eye lids felt heavy as the morphine began to take its toll on her. She soon felt her heart slow while the news program continued talking of the Joker's escape and how she had been in critical condition upon her arrival in the hospital. She could hear some far off caster allude to a relationship between the two just as the drug pulled her into a deep sleep.

"So you're telling me that you didn't accept any money from the Batman to keep his secret safe," the news reporter announced on the five o'clock segment of GCN.

Bagheera felt her eyes flutter open after a few hours of drug induced sleep. She could hear the men on the television talking, though she tried to ignore them as she felt the tug of sleepiness move over her tired body again.

"And now for our next caller," she heard the reporter announce loudly to his watching audience. She kept her eyes closed as she listened to the news program.

"Harvey Dent didn't give into this maniac; do you think you know any better than him? You'll just end up in a hospital gurney just like that stupid detective," the caller said in anger.

Bagheera closed her eyes tighter at the caller's harsh description of her.

"I think that if we could talk to Dent, and even Bagheera Lewis," the lawyer answered, "I think that today he may feel differently."

"And we wish Harvey Dent a speedy recovery and greatest condolences to the loss of his longtime girlfriend Rachel Dawes," the reporter added, "because God knows we need him now."

Bagheera felt the pull of sleepiness move over her as she shrunk lower into her hospital bed as the lawyer continued to talk about what made him decide to reveal the Batman's identity at this time instead of at a later date.

"Who is this," she heard Mike Engell ask in a worried tone that pulled Bagheera's attention away from sleep and back towards the television.

"I had a vision," the Joker's voice announced. Bagheera's heart pounded in her heart as she heard his deep voice once again, "of a world without Batman. The mob ground out a little profit and the police tried to shut them down one block at a time," Bagheera's eyes did not move from the television set, she seemed to be hypnotized by his words to the reporter, "and it was sooo boring."

Bagheera recalled him calling her sense of style boring in the same tone as she listened to his words.

"I've had a change of heart," the Joker informed the watching audience, "I don't want Mr. Reese spoiling everything, but why should I have all the fun? Let's give someone else a chance, hmm? If Coleman Reese isn't dead in sixty minutes then I'll blow up a hospital."

Bagheera's breath stopped as she looked up to the television. Fear radiated through her body as she looked around for an escape plan. She was on the fifth floor of the hospital and there was no way that she would have been able to scale down the side in her current condition. She knew that the Joker would have men inside every hospital in Gotham City, especially the hospital that she had been taken to, to make sure that the bombs did go off as planned. She knew Gotham General was going to be Gordon's priority because of her and Harvey Dent.

The Joker was going to finish his job with Harvey Dent and she would just be the innocent bystander.

"Oh my God," she cried as she looked away from the television as the fear charged through her veins. Panic was setting in as she sat alone in her hospital bed.

"Oh there she is," the horribly familiar sing song voice of the Joker announced, "Never mind, I didn't need," the sound of a silencer being shot echoed throughout her room, "your help."

She turned her head quickly to see the unwanted visitor, bouncing towards her in a red wig and a white nurse's uniform. His legs were bare in the knee length skirt that he sported with confidence and he held his purple jacket over his left shoulder. She took in the Joker's appearance with a strange glance upon her face that was noticeable to the Joker. She watched as his fake locks of red hair bounced with each step he took towards her. She could see the giddiness almost radiating out of him as he smiled at her.

"How ya been Baggy," he asked as he looked her over and threw his purple jacket over her legs just as William Barba had done with his jacket, "I've been meaning to come see you, but you know how time just slips away."

"You've come to finish the job," she asked as she felt her body almost melt into the mattress as the Joker sat in the rolling doctor's chair. She watched as he fiddled with the buttons on the machines that were hooked up to her.

"Morphine huh," he asked with a serious tone as he looked at the dripping substance in her IV tube, "They gave you some good stuff."

"If you're going to kill me," she whispered as she glared at him with tired blue eyes, "just do it already."

The Joker chuckled at her and replied with the same words that he had told the Batman, "I don't want to kill you! I don't know what I'd do without you," he pointed at her and then at his chest, "You complete me."

Bagheera watched helplessly as the Joker forced a higher dosage of morphine into her system. She tried to reach for the call button so she could call for help, but he jerked it out of her reach. She forced a smile across her face as she glared at him in hatred.

"What do you want with me," she asked, her voice was small as the morphine coursed through her veins, "I'm nobody. I'm not special."

"Oh, I think you are very special," he answered in a seductively dangerous tone and winked at her as he licked his lips. He jerked the IV out of her arm as the last of the morphine entered into her veins through the needle.

"You want to know why I think you are so special," he asked of her, his voice was high pitched as he smiled at her.

"Not really," she answered as the morphine numbed her to the pain and the fear that flooded through her body, a small smile tugged at her lips as she added, "I want to know my future."

The Joker chuckled at her response as he pulled a deck of cards from his jacket pocket and shuffled the deck. She watched him in drugged curiosity with the same smile upon her face as he moved closer to her drowsy eyes. She could see the glint in his eyes as she watched the cards move with every hand gesture he made.

"I'm not sure you get wiser as you get older, but you do learn to dodge a certain amount of hell," the Joker informed her as he finished shuffling the deck, "Life is all about how we play the cards we've been dealt. There's no bad hands, no, only bad players," he smiled at her as he watched her look from the cards and to his painted face, he watched as in her drugged state her eyes lingered on his painted lips for a moment to long before finding his dark eyes, "and from what I've observed out of you is that you are not too bad of a player yourself Baggy," he chuckled, "and one day you might even be a good one."

Bagheera took a deep breath as the drugs slowed her mind's ability to process some of the information that he was giving her. She watched as his hands moved with expert precision over the cards. Her pupils dilated as she watched the clown in such close proximity of her. Her eyes seemed to dance in her head as she moved her attention from his hands that held the cards to his painted face and stupid wig.

"It's not about finding out which cards are yours," he informed her in a matter of fact tone, "it's about finding out which cards you're not. So let me put my cards on the table," he began to touch the cards, "and see where you stack up because every card has a meaning," the first card off the deck was a random hearts card, "Hearts are for emotions," the next card was a spade, "Spades are for intellect," a red diamond was next, "Diamonds show wealth," the fourth card was a club, "and clubs signify power."

She watched him throw the cards upon her blanket and then begin to remove the face cards, "You have your Harvey Dent types, the Commissioner Gordons, the Bruce Waynes, the Batmans," he smiled at her as he removed the Queen of Diamonds, "The Rachel Dawes," and he smiled as he showed her a red Queen of Hearts card, "and then there is Bagheera Lewis."

Her smile sparkled unbeknownst to her in her drugged state as she looked at the face card that seemed to shine in the light that entered the hospital room.

"Ya stand out Baggy," he informed her as he moved from his sitting position to pull a forgotten wheel chair towards her bed, "and I'm not going to let you fade away into nothin'."

He smiled as he looked down on her as he added darkly, "There's only one card that makes any difference," he held the Queen of Hearts in front of her line of sight, "it doesn't add or take away from the others. It just is."

Bagheera watched as the Joker card appeared from behind the Queen of Hearts that he held in front of her with a trick of his hand.

"There's one in every deck and it always shows up when you least expect it."

She watched him with furrowed brows as he pulled the thin blankets off of her to reveal her bare legs and the thin, flimsy hospital gown that she had been placed in. She felt a shiver run through her at the sudden change. Her dilated eyes danced as she watched him carefully, wishing she had a weapon to use against him if he tried anything.

"Oh this just won't do," she heard him say like a sad child.

"What are you doing," she said in a soft, almost unnoticeable slur as the Joker pulled her up from the bed. The drugs were beginning to slightly effect her motor skills.

"Just," he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her over in the thin gown, he could see soft goose bumps forming over her pale flesh as the cool air of the hospital explored her, "Just stand right there," he waved his hands in front of her and smiled, "Just…just for a second Baggy."

Bagheera closed her eyes as her legs shook under her weight as she forced herself to stand up straight for the clown in her room. She soon felt his hands moving over the back of her shoulders and the warm, but rough material of his purple jacket moving over her. She felt a warmth move through her upper body as the jacket fit around her like a warm blanket.

"Okie dokie," the Joker announced and smiled as he looked her frail body over, "let's get you in the chair," he laughed as she hurriedly found her place in the wheel chair and added, "I promise it's not an electric chair, well not yet Baggy."

She groaned as the drugs clouded her mind. Her body wished for sleep, but her mind was telling her that she needed to stay awake to fight the Joker, but at the moment he was the only person that could get her out of the hospital. She felt his bare hands touching her uncovered legs and she watched him closely as he placed her legs on the foot pegs. He looked up at her and gave her a warm smile as his fingernails grazed lightly up and down her flesh. A groan of disgust escaped her and she looked away from him as he removed himself from the floor and began to push her out of the hospital room.

"We got to make a quick stop," he informed her as he pushed her out of her hospital room and down the hall towards Harvey Dent's room. Bagheera's eyes fell closed on her, but she was still awake. She could hear the Joker breathing behind her, she could hear his footsteps on the floor, and she could hear the absence of life within the hospital halls which unnerved her.

She opened her eyes as they came to a closed door. She watched as the Joker in his white nurse uniform hurried to open the door. Her heart stopped as the Joker pushed her deeper into the room where she saw a man with a badly burned and disfigured face.

"Oh my God," she whispered as fear finally emerged through her drugged state, "Harvey."

The Joker locked the wheelchair in place and walked away from her, leaving her to observe the altercation between them. She watched as the Joker sang a soft lullaby to Dent as he forced the mattress into an upright, seated position.

She watched in silent horror as the district attorney tried to fight against his restraints to attack the Joker. She felt a sob form in her throat but she held it in as she watched the Joker sit in front of the disfigured man.

"Hi," the Joker said as if he were a guilty teenage girl that had ruined her best friend's relationship.

"You son of a bitch," Bagheera whispered under her breath. She hadn't expected Dent to look the way he did. She felt her heart breaking for the man that had been rude to her countless times as he fought against the restraints to get to the Joker.

The Joker pulled off the red wig and began to fix his own haphazardly dyed hair as he said, "Ya know I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us Harvey. I mean I put Baggy over there," he pointed towards her, "and she's wearing my very expensive jacket now."

"When you and uh…"

"**RACHEL**," Harvey screamed in anger causing the Joker to jump back at the ferocity that escaped the district attorney.

"Rachel," the Joker said, "were being abducted, I was sitting in Gordon's cage. I didn't rig those charges."

"Your men," Harvey said in a calmed, but still angry, tone, "Your plan."

"Do I really look like a guy with a plan," the Joker announced in a laid back matter, "I mean, uh, I was going to kill Bagheera over there, but ya see there she is," he chuckled for a moment before continuing, "Ya know what I am, I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it," he moved his hands about wildly, "Ya know, I just do things."

Bagheera watched with her head on her shoulder as the drugs began to take an effect on her. She couldn't move from her place and all she could do was listen to the Joker's harsh words.

"The mob has plans," the Joker said, "The cops have plans, Batman has plans," he walked over to Bagheera and unlocked her wheelchair, he turned her away from Dent, "Bagheera has plans to have me put away," his ungloved fingers moved through her dark strands of hair and patted her head as if she were a child, Bagheera closed her eyes in disgust from his touch, "Gordon's got plans, ya know," he walked away from Bagheera and back to his place beside Dent, "They are schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not a schemer."

"Don't listen to him Harvey," Bagheera managed to say. She could feel the Joker's eyes move towards her, but she ignored him, "He's a liar."

"I just try to show the schemers just how," he turned to Bagheera and said loudly, "_pathetic _they really are."

Bagheera shook her head as tears fell from her blue eyes.

"So when I say," the Joker continued and grabbed for the district attorney's hand, "Come here," he said as Dent pulled away in an unsuccessful attempt, "so when I say that you and your girlfriend was nothing personal, you'll know that I'm telling the truth."

"Are you in on this," Harvey asked as he directed his eyes towards Bagheera's back, "You bring the Joker to jail, we get taken? Was that it?"

"No," Bagheera said in a soft tone with horror in her eyes that he had asked her that question.

"No, no, no," Joker announced, "Baggy is still a good cop, she's not as bad as those schemers though," he moved around Dent's bed and undone his restraints, "It's the schemers that put you were you are. You were a schemer, you had plans, and uh…look where that got you," as he undone the last restraint Dent lunged for him, but the Joker quickly shoved him back onto the bed and held his arms down, "See I just did what I do best! I took your little plan and I turned it on itself," the Joker licked his lips, "Look what I did to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets. Hmm?"

Dent eyed the clown that was speaking to him.

"Ya know what I noticed," the Joker continued, "Nobody panics when things go according to plan, even if the plan is horrifying! If tomorrow I tell the press that, like a gang banger will get shot or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics because it's all part of the plan," he smiled as he spoke, "But when I say that one little mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds," his words were loud and almost erratic sounding as he pulled a gun from the pocket of the nurse uniform, "Introduce a little anarchy," he placed the pistol in Dent's hand and pulled the safety lock off, "upset the established order, and everything becomes **chaos**," the Joker glared into the district attorney's disfigured face as he placed the barrel against his forehead, "I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos?"

"Joker," Bagheera whispered in a sigh as the drugs overwhelmed her and she fell into the drug induced sleep.

"It's fair," the Joker whispered to Harvey Dent with a knowing smile. He watched as Dent held a coin up into his view as the gun was still placed against his forehead.

"You live," Dent said showing him the clean side of the coin, "You die."

"Now we're talking," Joker announced in a dark tone as he watched Dent throw the coin into the air.

The Joker smiled as the coin flipped onto the clean side. He could see the look of disappointment on the district attorney's face as he pulled the gun away from him.

"Wasn't loaded anyway," the Joker announced as he laughed manically away from him. He stopped behind Bagheera and leaned over her and whispered while she slept, "Come on Baggy, time to ditch this joint."

He continued laughing as he pushed Bagheera out of the district attorney's room and down the hall. He stopped just outside her room and smiled as he came to an antibacterial dispenser. He left Bagheera alone as he wiped his hands clean from the germs that he may have gotten from Dent.

He sang to himself as he pushed Bagheera out of the hospital and into the parking lot that her room had overlooked. Buses full of patients and nurses rushed into the buses, remaining unaware of him pushing the sleeping detective towards them. He held the detonator in his free hand and pressed the button as he placed a safe distance between him and the hospital building.

The sounds of screaming and the fire blasts were music to his ears as he pushed Bagheera towards the buses of frantic people. He turned away from her and looked towards the building as the bomb did not finish going off. He looked down to the detonator in his hand and shook it while pressing the button over and over again in a frustrated manner.

The Joker jumped backwards at the unexpected explosion and turned to Baggy who had slept through it. He smiled as he continued to push her towards the buses.

"Sorry Baggy," he whispered to her as he played with her messy strands of hair as she slept, "This is where I say goodbye…for now."

...

Bagheera felt hands on her cheeks; she could hear people's voices all around her as she pulled herself from her unconscious state. She opened her blue eyes wide to see William Barba standing in front of her. His right hand was touching her cheek in an attempt to wake her up completely and to let her know that he meant her no harm, his other hand was touching the rough fabric of the dirty purple jacket that she wore over her hospital gown.

She shook her head as she looked over to the devastation that had occurred behind them. Her blue eyes stared at the fire that the fire fighters were desperately trying to extinguish.

"Harvey," she said as she tried to remove herself from the wheel chair, but Barba stood in her way.

"No," he said in a warning as he pushed her back into her chair.

Bagheera looked up at him with worried, fearful eyes and tears fell freely as she forced herself to look away from the IA agent.

"You need to tell me what happened," Barba informed her, "and why you have the Joker's jacket?"

Bagheera's hand touched the purple fabric that covered her and kept her warm from the cool Gotham wind.

"He came in," she whispered, "he drugged me and took me to Harvey's room. He told him," she sniffled as she looked towards the wreckage of the hospital, "he told the most awful things. I think," she shook her head at the realization, "I think Harvey escaped on his own," she looked up to William and grabbed his elbow tightly, "Did they find him?"

"No," he said softly, "But it's not official yet. Gordon needs to talk to you."

She nodded and whispered, "Harvey isn't Harvey anymore. He's so full of anger. He's unpredictable, Will. We have to find him before he hurts somebody."

"Okay," Barba answered, "Okay. You know Gordon is going to have every cop on duty."

"Lewis," Gordon's voice boomed across the parking lot as he made his way quickly towards her, "Thank God you're alright."

"I'm fine," she said in reassurance.

"The Joker," Gordon started.

"Yes," Bagheera answered quickly.

"Do you think that he took Dent?"

"No," she answered, "I think Dent walked out on his own. The Joker had to have brought me out here."

"There are still fifty people missing," Gordon answered, "A bus is missing."

Bagheera looked up to the tired, stressed out newly appointed commissioner. She could see the pain in his eyes and the greys had spread further into his once dark hair.

"If he's not on the bus," Bagheera said softly to Gordon so no one else could hear them, "We can't rule out that he won't do something in retaliation. The Joker said some horrible things to him. He's broken. The Joker attracts the broken."

Gordon reluctantly nodded and replied, "You keep that to yourself. We're going to need the National Guard. Ramirez is on the phone with the mayor's office as we speak."

"Do you think that he's still a target," Barba asked as he stood beside Bagheera with his hand still on her shoulder.

"I'm Mark Engell from Gotham Tonight," the portable television from under the medical tent announced to the small audience of police officers and first responders. They could see the Joker's red painted smile splashed across the reporter's face as he spoke.

"What does it take to make you people want to join in," Mark read from the lines the Joker had prepared for him, "You failed to kill the lawyer. I've got to get you off the bench and into the game."

Bagheera could hear the Joker's voice echoing the reporter's words in the background as she watched the video closely. She pushed herself out of the wheel chair and stood beside Gordon to observe what the Joker was going to pre-warn them about.

"Come night fall the city is mine and anyone left here plays by my rules," Mike read like a professional, "If you don't want to be in the game, get out now."

"What do we do Gordon," Ramirez asked as she came toward them.

"But the bridge and tunnel crowd are sure in for a surprise," the reporter added, "Haha haha."

The Joker's laughter took over the video as the reporter screamed from whatever torture the Joker decided to deliver upon him.

"Shit," Bagheera whispered under her breath as she turned to look at the panicked faces of the people around her, "There's going to be wide spread panic."

Ramirez's cell phone rang and she quickly answered it. Bagheera listened to the woman's voice change from worry to fear as the conversation continued.

"We have a problem sir," Ramirez said in a hurried whisper, her eyes moved from Gordon to Bagheera.

"What? Did they find Dent?"

"No sir," Ramirez answered and her suspicious eyes moved to Bagheera where they stayed, "Dr. Crane has escaped."

"The Joker is going to use Scarecrow to poison the city," Barba insisted as anger boiled inside of him, "Just like last time."

Bagheera's brows furrowed as she watched their mouths move. She could no longer hear the words that escaped their lips as she forced herself to sit back down in the wheel chair as the realization washed over her like ocean waves. Her cousin had escaped and she knew he would come looking for her, but her mind kept replaying the question of _how_ he had escaped while no other criminals had. She hid herself from the world as she thought of Jonathon Crane and whoever had let him out. She held her breath as a sob wished to escape from deep inside of her as she realized who had the motivation to set the Scarecrow free.

It wasn't the Joker.

"Bagheera," Barba asked as he turned to look at her as she sat in the moveable chair and held her head in her hands, hiding her face from the world

"He's going to kill him," she whispered under her breath, her mind seemed miles away as she shook her head as panic washed over her at the thought of losing her only family to a madman.

"We are not going to let the Joker-"

"No," Bagheera said as she looked up to the men that looked down on her as she tried to collect herself, "Not the Joker. Harvey…Harvey Dent thinks I am working with the Joker. He thinks-"

She shook her head as she thought of the disfigured side of Dent's once handsome face, "He'll come after me."

"Dent won't-"

"You don't know what he's become," she said harshly as she interrupted Barba, "You don't know what the Joker has done to him. You didn't see him like I did."

Gordon nodded at Bagheera's reply and said in agreement, "She could be right. He wasn't the same Harvey Dent that I knew."

"But to kill," Barba started to say in defense of his friend, but stopped immediately as he looked at Jim Gordon's grave features.

"We'll find him," Ramirez reassured Bagheera, "Will have officers posted all around Gotham looking for the Joker. We'll tell them to keep an eye out for Dr. Crane."

"Thank you," Bagheera whispered to her partner with a soft smile as she watched Ramirez walk away from them to speak into her radio.

"Until then," Gordon said with a demanding voice, "I want you to stay out of this."

"Gordon-"

"No," Gordon stopped her, "You need to rest. We'll send you to a little no tell motel where you'll be safe for now."

"There's no such thing as safe in Gotham right now," Bagheera informed him as she shook her head in annoyance, "There never has been and a god damned motel is your answer? You might as well stick a steak around my neck and a bright sign saying 'come and get it'!"

"Detective," Gordon said harshly, becoming aggravated with his detective, "You do as I tell you."

"She can stay at my place," Barba announced in an attempt to bring a calm between the two. Bagheera turned her eyes to him and her brows furrowed at his strange suggestion.

"As long as she's safe I don't really care where she stays," Gordon answered as he walked away from the two to continue on with his job of trying to protect the citizens of Gotham.

Barba looked down to Bagheera and smiled at her suspicion, "You can stay in my sister's old room. It really isn't a problem…and it's roach free."

"You didn't have to-"

"I wanted to," he answered with a smile as he watched her pull herself up from the wheel chair, "and this way I know you are safe, and," he shrugged with a boyish grin, "I figured we could watch a movie and have a nice dinner. We could get the 'getting to know each other over dinner and a movie' date started tonight."

She returned his smile, though on the inside her stomach was turning with fear and worry. Fear over her cousin, and worry over what the Joker had planned to do with the city now that he had taken out every big criminal organization in the city.

"I'd like that," she finally said out of politeness as they walked away from the wreckage of Gotham General.

* * *

**So now Bagheera is placed in a situation where its her safety or Crane's! What will happen? What will she decide to do? And Barba has seemingly placed himself in the crossfire. **

**What do you think of the interactions between Bagheera and the Joker? **


	11. Dinner Date

**Chapter 11: Dinner Date**

Bagheera smiled politely as William Barba opened the door to his two story suburban home that lay just outside of the bustling streets of Gotham City. She pretended to feel at ease with him beside her, like she was safe, but her mind was telling her to run, to not hide. Her mind was telling her to find her cousin and to stop the Joker.

"Home, sweet home," Barba announced as he allowed her to walk through the threshold first. He turned the lights on to reveal to Bagheera the luxurious furniture and decorations that inhabited his home. Barba placed his keys on the side table and held the Chinese take-out that they had picked up on their way home in his hands as he watched her closely take in his home.

She looked around with wide eyes as she took in the splendor of his abode. The couch was leather as was the matching reclining chair that sat in the corner of the living room. The television was a newly released flat screen that was hung on the eggshell painted walls. Photos of his family and small posters from old Universal monster films decorated the walls. Her blue eyes moved across the walls to a long line of degrees that hung on his wall. She walked towards them to get a closer look and felt slight surprise come over her as she took in the degrees. Several Gotham University degrees looked back at her but one took her breath away as she looked upon the scripted letters that made up his name.

"You graduated law school," she asked in surprise as she took in the Harvard degree, "from Harvard?!"

Barba smiled at her and nodded as he made his way to her side to look upon his successes.

"Believe me," he said with a soft chuckle, "It's overrated."

She shook her head as she turned to him with confusion in her eyes, "I don't understand. You have a law degree and you are in Internal Affairs," she looked at him with bright eyes as a soft, genuine smile of disbelief danced upon her lips, "Why? I mean I remember you telling me you wanted to run for DA, but I thought you had been joking."

He shrugged his shoulders and replied simply, "I wanted to make sure that this town had good cops on the streets."

Her brows lifted in surprise as she looked from him back to the degrees, a chuckle escaped her as she replied, "When we pulled up, I was going to ask you how you could even afford this place," she rolled her eyes in slight embarrassment, "I can barely afford my shitty apartment."

Barba smiled at her observation and replied as he walked towards the kitchen to place the take-out down, "I'm proud of it. I did some practicing before I decided to go to work at IAB."

"You ever think of going back," she asked in genuine interest as she followed him into the kitchen.

He smiled at her question as he turned her back on her to grab two bottled Cokes out of the fridge. He handed her one and twisted the top on his and took a sip before acknowledging her question.

"I do some pro-bono work," he said as he leaned against his counter in a comfortable stance.

Bagheera took the moment to examine his body. He wasn't lean or overly muscular, he had a bit of fat on his hips, but she had never really found boney hips attractive on a man. She smiled at him and the unease fell off of her shoulders as she looked into his eyes that held warmth instead of the coldness that the Joker's eyes contained.

"Yeah," he stated as he watched Bagheera look him over with a sparkle in her eyes, though he did not take offense to her wandering eyes, "I usually take in battered wives as clients, rape victims, sexual assault…things that go unnoticed by the newspapers when men like the Joker and Maroni are running in the streets stealing money and blowing up shit."

"That's very noble of you," she said with a genuine smile as she took a drink of her Coke, "Your parents must be proud."

"Not really," Barba answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"What," Bagheera asked in surprise, "No," she took in his attractive features as she smiled at him and comfortably leaned against the small island that separated her from him, "Really?"

"Yeah," he answered, "They wanted me to be a doctor."

A chuckle escaped Bagheera and she instantly regretted it as pain from her abdomen shot through her body, but she kept her pain under wraps.

"I was going to be a doctor," he added honestly.

"Then what stopped you," she asked with a flirtatious grin.

"Dr. Barba," he said with a look of comedic disgust as he shook his head at the thought, "It's a horrible name," he smiled as Bagheera chuckled at his joke, "I just couldn't imagine spending my life being called Dr. Barba."

Bagheera nodded and added lightheartedly, "IAB Agent Barba does sound a lot better."

"No," Barba answered with a small smile, "in college I failed biology. I blame Bruce Wayne for that part; he always wanted to go out all the damned time."

"Oh my God," she announced happily, "I did too! You have no idea how many times I had to re-take that stupid class before I finally got it down, though admittedly I didn't fail because of partying too hard. I was always working to pay my way."

He laughed at her confession and added as he raised his bottle up in a toast, "Well thank God for criminal justice classes because without them we would have never met."

"To criminal justice courses everywhere," Bagheera replied and raised her bottle in the air and allowed him to touch his bottle against hers.

"What does you sister do," she asked as she began to look through the take out boxes for her meal.

"Emily," he said with a chuckle, "Well, she's Dr. Barba."

Bagheera smiled at his admission and asked, "So you knew Bruce Wayne?"

"Yeah," he answered as he grabbed his box and made his way to the living room, "I mean I still know him. We were really close in school, and we just sort of went on with life. We still do lunch every once in a while when we have the time."

She followed him into the living room and sat on the opposite side of the couch beside him, leaving plenty of space between him and her so he did not get the wrong idea of how the night was going to go.

"So I have a small collection of movies," he informed her as he opened his container, "Sorry about that."

"No," she answered quickly in reply, "I'll watch whatever you have. It's fine," she stopped, "Uhm, does your sister have any spare clothes that I could borrow," she looked down at the hospital gown and the Joker's dirty jacket that she still wore, "I'd like to get out of this mess."

"Yeah," he said as he explained which bedroom was hers, "I think she left some jeans up there, you'll have to borrow one of my shirts though."

"Thank you," she whispered as she made her way up the stairs. She went into the first bedroom that held the smell of Barba's cologne. The bed was made and his room was clean. His gun lay forgotten on the bedside table as she observed her surroundings. She quickly made her way to his closet and grabbed a long sleeved, button up green shirt. She hurried out of his room and into the sister's room to hurry and change out of the dirty jacket and old hospital gown.

"Do I look better," she asked as she made her way down the stairs to where Barba was sitting on the couch. She wore his emerald green shirt that looked perfect on her in his eyes and his sister's old black skirt. On her feet, he could see that she had slipped on his sister's long forgotten black flats. Bandages from the cuts on her feet stuck out noticeably from the sides of the shoes as he inspected her.

"You look comfy," he said with a proud smile as she made her way towards him.

Barba smiled at her as he explained which movies he had in his small collection. She chose the movie, a movie that she had seen in theaters when she had been in high school with Jonathon. The night moved without a disturbance as they watched the movie together.

Half way through the film, Bagheera felt a strange unease rumble through her stomach and she looked over to Barba with a look of discontent that he did not notice. She felt her body move of its own accord and she found herself leaning against him. She could smell his cologne that lingered on his starched shirt as he moved his arm and draped it over her shoulder. She closed her eyes and slowed her heart beat as she listened to the steady beat of his heart.

As she laid against him for what seemed to be hours while pretending to be asleep, she heard the hitch in his breath change as sleep over took him. She slowly lifted her head from his chest and looked him over. His eyes moved under his lids as he slipped into a deeper state of sleep. Bagheera bit at her bottom lip as she pulled herself reluctantly away from his warm embrace. She didn't want to leave him, but she had a job to finish.

Bagheera silently made her way up the stairs and into his bedroom. She nabbed his pistol and hurried to grab the Joker's jacket, which she pulled on quickly. She placed the gun into the inside pocket of the jacket and hurried down the stairs. As she made her way to the door, she grabbed William's keys and forgotten cell phone.

Bagheera slipped into his car and hurried away from the suburban home and back into the panicked city.

...

"Beautiful isn't it," Batman said as he stood in front of tons of screens with Luscious Fox beside him gazing at the screens in fear.

"Beautiful," he said as he looked at each screen individually, "Unethical. Dangerous."

Batman lowered his head as he moved away from the screens.

"You've turned every cell phone in Gotham into a microphone," Luscious explained as he couldn't take his eyes off of what the billionaire playboy had accomplished. Blue images of Gothamites went along with their lives as they unknowingly were being watched by the two.

"It's a high frequency generated receiver," he answered in his own defense.

"You took my sonar concept and applied it to every phone in the city," Fox responded in slight disappointment, "with half the city feeding you sonar, you can watch all of Gotham," he paused and shook his head, "This is wrong."

"I've got to find this man," Bruce Wayne explained to his longtime employee and confidant.

Fox turned to him with wide eyes of disbelief and replied in disappointment, "At what cost?"

"The database is key encrypted," he informed his friend, "It can only be accessed by one person."

"This is too much power for one person," Luscious Fox explained once again.

"That's why I gave it to you," the billionaire said as Luscious turned to look at him in surprise, "Only you."

"Spying on thirty million people isn't my job description," he informed his boss.

"This is an audio sample," Batman explained, "He talks within the city, you can triangulate his position."

"I'll help you this one time," Fox informed him, disappointment still filled his tone, "but consider this my resignation. As long as this machine is at Wayne Enterprises, I won't be."

"When you're finished," he said in the Batman's husky voice, "Type in your name."

Fox watched the vigilante known as the Batman, and his boss and friend, walked away from him to begin a suicide machine to bring down a man that just wanted to watch the world burn.

...

Commissioner Gordon sat in front of the mayor of Gotham as Gothamites rushed to get out of the city. The National Guard and Gotham PD examined every inch of the tunnels and bridges, but nothing had been found.

"All of my offices went over the tunnels and bridges," Gordon briefed the mayor, "but with the Joker's threat, they're not an option to use."

"And land routes east," the mayor asked.

"It's too risky," Gordon answered, "The only thing left is the ferries, but with the ferries I wanted to use them to get some of those prisoners off the island."

"The men you and Dent put away," the mayor asked in slight confusion, "Those aren't people I'm worried about."

"You should be," Gordon said in a matter of fact tone, "Whatever the Joker's planning, it's a good bet that Harvey's might be involved. I want to get 'em out of here."

The mayor allowed the commissioner's words of warning to sink into his brain before asking carefully, "So where is Harvey?"

Gordon looked down to his lap as he thought of Bagheera's warning; he didn't want to share those beliefs with the mayor so he said simply, "We haven't found him."

A look of defeat and grief came over the mayor's already stressed features as he took in the news of the lost district attorney.

"Jesus," the mayor whispered under his breath then looked to the commissioner, "How long can you keep this quit?"

"Only my close team knows," Gordon informed him hesitantly.

...

Bagheera watched as cars scrambled passed her to find a way out of the city while she was braving her way into the city. She was the only car on the road and Barba's black town car was very noticeable on the empty road. The radio news repeated the Joker's message to Gotham over and over again. People called in with ideas on what to do and to tell stories of what they had seen.

She looked down to the gas dial and sighed as the red fuel light came on and dinged over and over in an attempt to inform her that she was running out of gas.

"Please be open," she whispered to herself as the lights of a small grocery store sign came into view. A small gas station sat across the parking lot in front of the store and she smiled as she saw the open sign blinking in bright neon lights. She pulled in quickly to the gas station and pulled herself out of the borrowed car. She looked to the small building where a cashier was supposed to sit but found not a soul sitting inside.

"What the hell," she hissed under her voice as she turned to look at the gas pump. It wouldn't take Barba's credit card without the authorization of the gas attendant. She looked towards the store and shook her head. Walking across the store and into the parking lot would shave time off of her trip to Gotham PD, but she had no choice.

The doors automatically opened as she walked inside the warm store. The lights were bright, but there was no customer inside. She felt as if she had woken up to a zombie apocalypse in Gotham.

"Hello," she asked of the empty store. Bagheera looked around the store with suspicious eyes as she made her way to the few cashier counters.

"Is someone here," she heard a female voice finally speak up from an office in the distant corner. Bagheera watched carefully as a young high school student with curly auburn hair walked cautiously towards her.

"I'm Detective Lewis," Bagheera began as the student moved to the register.

"Oh I know you," the girl answered with a bright smile, "You're like," she shook her head, "my idol."

"That's great," Bagheera said in disinterest, but her eyes stopped on the magazine that stood on the top shelf. A photograph of the Joker and one of herself made the top story with the headline suggesting that she was in a relationship with the mass murdering clown.

"You're why I am trying so hard to get into GU," the girl said happily.

"Listen kid," Bagheera started, but stopped as the girl's words registered in her mind, she forced a kind smile upon her tired features and asked, "What's your name?"

"Ashley," the teen answered, "Ashley Davies."

The name sounded familiar to Bagheera, but in her current frenzied state she could not recall why it had.

"Where is everyone, Ashley," Bagheera asked as she pulled the credit card and the cell phone from the pocket of the Joker's jacket. Hard paper rubbed against her fingers from inside the pocket and she pulled them out to see the Joker card and the Queen of Hearts card looking back at her. The Joker had placed them there for her to find. He wanted her to remember what he had told her. She laid the phone and the two playing cards onto the counter and looked at the worried teenager.

"On their way out of here," she answered, "My boss wouldn't let me leave. Plus my dad is stuck in town. I can't just leave him."

Bagheera nodded and replied, "I'm going to need some gas. The attendant isn't out there and all I have is this card."

Ashley nodded and charged her for the gas and replied as she handed her idol the card back, "I hope you catch that son of a bitch."

"I do too," Bagheera answered as she placed the card back into her pocket, forgetting the cell phone and playing cards on the counter, and walked out of the store.

As she walked across the mostly empty parking lot, the cool wind blew around her causing the Joker's jacket tails to dance along with her borrowed skirt. Her hair billowed in the air as the smell of sewage and garbage wafted in the air. The faint smell of gas moved about on the wind as she approached the gas station. Another car had joined her to get some last minute gas before trying to flee the city. She examined them closely to see a clean cut African American woman pumping the gas with what seemed to be either her boyfriend or her brother in the passenger seat.

Bagheera ignored them and continued on towards her car to pump the gas into Barba's town car. She closed her eyes as the gas slowly entered the car's gas tank. Her head ached from the tension of the day. She had survived another encounter with the Joker and the blowing up of the hospital that she had resided in. She clung to the hope that the Joker wouldn't come after her again.

A click sounded behind her head and she slowly opened her eyes. Her hope dashed as she registered that it was a click of a gun. She slowly turned to see the Joker standing behind her with a large smile and a shotgun pointed at her head. She raised her hands slowly as she looked down the barrel of the sawed off shotgun.

"God damn it," Bagheera said in anger and annoyance as she glared at the smiling clown in front of her.

* * *

**And there you have the 11th chapter. I'm predicting 3 more chapters and this story should be finished :)**


	12. The Last Pale Light

**Chapter 12: The Last Pale Light**

"Check her for weapons," the African American woman demanded of the man that had sat in her passenger seat. Bagheera ignored them as she looked over to the Joker who eyed her with a wide grin of amusement. She felt the man's hands move over her and into the pockets of the jacket where he found William Barba's gun hidden.

"This is it," the man informed the Joker and tossed him the pistol.

"Thanks Lyle," the Joker answered with a roll of his dark eyes. He smiled at Bagheera as the two walked away, leaving them to stand at the gas station alone. He lowered the shot gun as he eyed her up and down in the borrowed clothes.

Bagheera lowered her arms as she gazed at him and asked bravely, fear was no longer coursing through her body as she stared at him, "So what do you want now?"

"Well you don't look too scared to see me," the Joker said in mock sadness as he noted how confident she looked standing in front of him in his jacket. He smiled as she held her head eye and kept eye contact with him.

"Oh and I'm goin' to need that jacket back," he informed her as he pointed to the jacket, "Well not right now of course," he shook his hands about as he eyed her, "But I am pretty nipped."

"Where's Harvey," Bagheera asked, ignoring his demand over his jacket that he had left her with.

"Ya mean Dent," the Joker asked in slight confusion, "Last I saw him was with you. What did you do with him. hmm?"

"You're lying," she said, her voice was emotionless as she watched him walk towards Barba's car. The back doors were unlocked and he threw the shot gun inside, he placed the pistol in his pocket and smiled at Bagheera as he gestured for her to get into the vehicle.

Bagheera looked around to see if anyone could see what was going on, but there was no one. The teenage girl in the store was probably hiding again. She was all alone with the Joker in the vacant parking lot. She opened the car door and slowly sat in the driver's seat. She winced as a pain from the stitched wound radiated through her momentarily. She leaned her head against the steering wheel in an attempt to subside the burning pain.

"Hey, hey," the Joker asked as he sat in the back seat so he could see everything that was going on, "What's wrong Bags?"

"Hmm," Bagheera said as she slowly forced herself away from the steering wheel and into an upright seated position, "You stabbed me in the stomach, remember?"

The Joker smiled at her and said simply, "Oh yeah. Right, I did do that," he pointed to the steering wheel and ordered, "Now start the car and let's go."

"Where," Bagheera asked as she did as she was told.

"Just go where I tell ya to," he informed her with a smile as he fiddled with something in the backseat, "Take a right here and just keep going straight."

"Ya know this is a nice care ya got here," he observed as he jumped on the leather seats.

"It's not mine," she answered, her voice still lacked emotion as she looked into the rearview mirror to see him smiling at her.

"So you stole it?"

"I wouldn't call it stealing," she answered.

"Oh so just borrowing," he cleared with a nod, "Yeah, I borrow things all the time."

As they drove down the lonely stretch of highway that led into the Gotham city limits, the only sound that passed by the two of them was the Joker's out of tune humming and the sound of the tires moving on the road. Red and blue lights began to flash in the distance and she watched as the Joker perked to attention as they drove closer and closer.

"What's goin' on here," the Joker asked as he stuck his head between the seats and looked to the many flashing lights then to Bagheera for an answer.

"They're looking for you," she said casually as she pushed his head away from her. She dug into the dash compartment and grabbed the small flashers that came with every police vehicle. She flipped on the switch and the blue and reds flashed within the car as they slowly passed the vehicles.

"Don't say a word," the Joker's voice whispered darkly in her ear as he sunk low into the backseat, he hid the mouth of the pistol against her ribs as the uniformed officer slowed her to a stop, "You feel that?"

"Don't worry. You've said enough already," she said in annoyance as she rolled the window down and ignored the clown hiding in her backseat.

Bagheera gave the trooper a sweet smile as he peered into her car. She hoped that he would recognize her from the news because she had no identification on her.

"Detective Lewis," the man asked to her satisfaction.

"Yes," she answered as she looked to the officer.

"Gordon told us that you were off the case for right now," the man informed her.

Bagheera closed her eyes and replied, "Well some things have come up. I'm assuming that you know of what?"

"Yes mam," he answered with a nod.

"Have you found him yet?"

"No mam," he answered, "But we are doing our best. There's officers up and down all of these streets looking for the Joker and Dr. Crane."

Bagheera nodded and offered him another kind smile as she began to move forward.

"Say," the officer asked and she pressed lightly on the brakes once again, "you have any idea where the Joker could be hiding?"

She shook her head as she eyed the officer that was risking his life with each question he asked her. She knew the Joker wasn't a very patient man and she had to find a way to get the man to shut u.

"I have no idea," she answered, "He's a complicated character," she lowered her gaze and added softly, "Let's just hope that the worst is_ behind_ us."

She closed her eyes as the Joker pushed the gun into her side in an attempt to shut her up.

"Amen to that," the man answered and nodded at her, "Gordon was last seen at PD if that's who you are looking for."

"Thank you," she said with a curt nod as she pulled slowly away from him and rolled the windows up.

"That was a close one Baggy," he informed her as he came back into view, "but ya know the best is yet to come."

"Can you," she started to say as she watched the Joker crawling over the seats to get into the passenger seat beside her. She eyed him and watched as his video camera zoomed in on her, "What the hell is that?"

The Joker chuckled at her and replied simply, "It's a camera. What's it look like Baggy?"

"I mean what are you doing with it," she asked in annoyance as she side eyed him as she passed by the posted officers.

"Say does this car have a siren," he asked as he fiddled with the many nobs on the car.

"No," she answered with a roll of her eyes as she continued to drive on for the Joker.

"I've never driven shot gun in a police car," he admitted as he looked at her with a large, unnerving smile. "Ya know most cops just want to shove me violently into the backseat. Hey," the Joker said with a sly grin, "How 'bout we both share the backseat?"

Bagheera watched him out of the corner of his eye as he fiddled with his camera and turned it to face him. She watched as he licked at his scars and smiled into the camera. She felt disgust trickle over her at the suggestion of the backseat echoed in her mind.

"Yeah this is a tough beat to work," the Joker announced as he looked out the window at the flashing lights, "I mean in Gotham you don't have your typical mad men running around. I mean there are even some mad ladies in this town. These are some hard times for Gothamites."

"What are you doing," Bagheera asked with a strange smile as she felt herself becoming more comfortable with the Joker's weird, ever changing behavior. One moment he could be downright frightening and the next moment he could be the clown that he dressed up as.

"And this is my partner Officer Giggles," he said to the camera and turned it off of him and back onto her, "She's a beautiful one ain't she? You know most of the female cops are actually ugly," he said casually as he zoomed in on Bagheera, "but Officer Giggles is not…even when she's wearing another man's shirt."

She rolled her eyes at his observation and continued driving, attempting to ignore his chuckles of happiness.

"And how is life as a Gotham detective under Jim Gordon," he asked of her.

Bagheera smiled in an effort to play along with his childish game as she said, "It's a stressful job," she turned to him momentarily and grinned, "A lot more stressful when you have a man dressed as a clown trying to destroy everything and holding you hostage in a car that you had to borrow."

The Joker laughed at her reply and the camera shook erratically in his hand. He enjoyed her moment of comedy. Most of his victims never could crack a smile for him and here was Bagheera joking with him while he held her hostage. She was different.

"And what is your favorite thing about being the detective that was tasked to capture him?"

"Not dying," she answered sarcastically, "The Joker has yet to kill me. I'd say that's my favorite thing of this job so far."

The Joker hummed at her reply and chuckled lightly as he watched the unease brush away from her eyes.

"What do you think of the name Lyle?"

"What," Bagheera asked in slight confusion as she turned to look at the Joker.

"Do you like the name Lyle," the Joker asked as if trying to make small take.

"It's alright, I guess," she answered, "Why?"

"I think it's a girl name," he replied bluntly, "I imagine if you and I had a daughter, we'd call her uh," he licked his lips as he thought of a pretty girl name, "Clarice Lyle Lewis. She'd take your last name of course. Clarice Lyle Joker sounds a little strange, even to a guy like me!"

She rolled her eyes and replied, "Well that's never going to happen."

"Never say never," he informed her with a wag of his finger.

"So tell us Officer Giggles," he asked, his voice was low and almost predatory, "Do you think the Joker is crazy," he rolled his eyes and licked his lips as he added, "Everyone else seems to think so."

Bagheera ignored his question and her smile faded.

"Baggy," the Joker commanded, but she did not answer. He watched as she continued driving as his anger at her cold shoulder treatment bubbled inside of him. No one ever ignored him. This had been the first time that she had ignored him, and he didn't like it one bit. He jerked his free hand forward and pulled on the wheel violently.

Bagheera gasped in sudden fear as the car veered towards the ditch. She slammed on the brakes as hard as she could and the car came to a screeching halt in the middle of the road. She took a deep breath as the Joker placed the car in park. She looked over to him with only the slightest hint of fear in her eyes as he laughed loudly at her.

"No," she screamed in anger, "No! No! No," her words were harsh as she glared at him, "I don't think you're crazy!"

The Joker's laughter stopped as her anger vibrated through her voice. He watched her with bright eyes and listened to her answer.

"Then what am I, Baggy?"

"You're very, very smart," she answered honestly as she took a deep breath to calm herself down, "You're a better class of criminal and you have shown this city, and me, that very fact."

"Hmmm," the Joker said as he tried to find the appropriate reply to her admission, he smiled as he signaled her to put the gar in drive again, "Let's go."

Bagheera did as she was told and continued to drive straight until the lights of the city came into view. They were only a few miles out and she felt her heart beat in worry as she recalled the Joker's promise to Gotham.

"What are you going to do with that video," she asked after the sudden silence that had enveloped them. She looked away from the road momentarily to look at the Joker and his camera, "Are you going to send it to the news to show how you once again captured the detective that was supposed to capture you?"

"Uh," he paused thinking it over, "no," the Joker said as he looked at the camera, "I was going to keep this in my own personal files."

"Can you turn it off," she asked softly as she moved her attention from the camera and to his dark eyes, "We need to have a little chat."

The Joker considered her offer and shrugged his shoulders as he closed the camera and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. He watched as Bagheera ignored his proximity to her and he smiled as he lingered for moments afterward in an attempt to unnerve her.

"Why am I so important to you," she asked, her voice was soft yet nervous, as her eyes lingered on him moments longer before looking back to the empty highway, "I'm not special."

"Oh I think you're very special," the Joker informed her with the same words that he had previously told her the last time she told him that she wasn't special, his voice lowered as he added, "Very special indeed."

"Why," she said as she shifted her gaze back to his dark eyes.

"Because you are the last pale light in the West," he informed her in a casual tone as he sat back in the seat allowing her to soak in his cryptic answer.

Bagheera watched him as the words rattled around in her busy mind. She had no idea what he was referring to. She allowed her eyes to linger across his entire face to see if she could see a telling sign as to what he meant, but she could not read his poker face.

"You're not crazy," she informed him in an attempt to change the subject as she turned to look at the highway, "but you won't go to Black Gate."

"Why not," he asked as he popped his T.

She shook her head and replied casually as she turned to look at him with burning blue eyes, "Because you've convinced so many people that you are crazy. You'll go to Arkham and live nicely for a long time. I have to congratulate you on some level because you did an amazing job at convincing a whole city. You killed a commissioner and countless cops. You'd be getting the needle if it wasn't for your," she paused as she searched for the right word, "for your magic trick."

The Joker smiled as if he were proud of her. His brown eyes sparkled.

"But, uh, Baggy," he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "the death penalty was outlawed in this state."

"No," she answered, "It just hasn't been needed in the last fifty years. I'm sure they will make an exception with you."

"That expensive education of yours wasn't a, uh, total waste," he said casually as he flicked his wrists about in the car, "So if I were ugh captured, you'd suggest Black Gate and death row?"

"In a heartbeat."

The Joker chuckled once again at her reply, "You are just too fun, Baggy!"

She continued forward as they came into the city. Helicopters buzzed in the air with bright lights searching the alley ways.

"What made you become a cop," the Joker asked, he pointed to a side road, "Here, go that away."

"This road goes to the docks," she informed him as she turned, "You know there will be officers all over them ships."

"Just keep driving and answer my question," he demanded of her darkly, "What made you want to become a cop?"

"I wanted to help people," she answered casually.

"No," he answered, "Everyone says that. What's **your** reason?"

She looked over to him and shook her head as she replied honestly, "That's my reason. I had thought about not being a cop anymore after my first major case," she looked back to the road as she recalled it, "Virgins were being raped and the rapist would leave voicemails to the mothers. He strangled one, but there were over seven victims that we knew of in our area," she shook her head as the terrible experience crossed her mind, "The rapist was a cop. I'll never forget what he told me when I interviewed him."

The Joker watched her with interest. He watched her facial features as she recalled her first case. He could see the hint of dismay and sadness on her face.

"What did he say, Baggy?"

"I asked him why he chose virgins," she answered, "He looked me deadpan in the eyes and told me he loved the looks on their faces. He said they were like beautiful paintings. Shock, confusion, panic, fear, and a simple bit of pain," she shook her head, "He looked at them like they were objects. He thrived on the looks on their faces when he was raping them. His favorite was the last girl, the one he strangled to death. He got off on those last moments of their lives," she turned to him with dark eyes and shook her head, "What makes you any better than him, Joker? I knew you were exactly the same when he shoved that blade in my gut. I could see it in your eyes. Tell me what makes you better because I don't see it."

The Joker smiled at her daring question. She was throwing the sickest criminal she had ever encountered in his face and asking him what made him better.

He giggled softly and admitted, "The fun part is knowing that I am better than that and having the world believe otherwise! It's a funny world we live in!"

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**So just a chapter between Bagheera and Joker. I hoped you liked it. **

**LOL I have readers that message me that want Bagheera with the Joker, others tell me Crane, some have said Batman, and others say Barba. I love those! I hope that I don't disappoint anyone with this story because I have had a blast writing it! I can't wait for Chapter 14 to get here because that's when the big twist happens and half of you are going to hate my guts. Ahh I can't wait, I'm so excited to write it and excited for you to read it. **


	13. Madness is like Gravity

**Chapter 13: Madness is like Gravity**

**So this is the longest chapter that I have written in this whole story! This is not the last chapter though. I have like 1-2 left.**

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Bagheera looked around the tall, abandoned building whose construction had been placed on hold at the start of the Joker's onslaught against Gotham City. She looked out the large, unfinished windows to see the large buildings in the distance with their lights sparkling like stars through the high fog. She looked down from her perch to see two ferries miles away from each other in the frigid harbor waters. The cold wind bit through William Barba's thin shirt and caused her to shiver. She turned with caution as she heard the Joker, back in his purple jacket, shuffling about with three Rottweilers that he had picked off of a low ranking mobster. He had kidnapped her and he had brought her to the highest floor of the building as if she was a princess and he was the fearsome dragon sent to keep rescuers away. Bagheera lowered her gaze as the thought crossed her mind; she had never been the damsel in distress type. She had always been the one to get herself out of harm's way. She was going to do the same in this situation. The Batman wasn't coming to rescue her; he was coming to capture the Joker.

"_But what if the dragon is protecting you,"_ the voice in her head whispered, but she quickly shoved the voice to the back of her mind and looked up to the Joker.

"You're going to blow them up," she said in cold realization as she watched him place a detonator in his suit pocket. He was going to use fire to keep everyone away just as a dragon would do.

"No, no," the Joker said with a confident smile as he looked down on the ferries filled with people, "That's too easy…and to pre-DICT-able," he licked his lips as he said in a dark sing voice, "You oughta know by now I don't work that way."

She looked away from him and crossed her arms against her chest in an effort to shield herself from the cold wind. She could hear the horns of the ferries sound as they began to pass each other.

"Bob sends his love by the way," the Joker announced as he moved about the squeaky floor in giddiness.

Bagheera looked away from the scene and back to the Joker. Momentary confusion entered her mind at the sound of the name, but it quickly snapped to her that Bob had been the tattooed henchman that had beat the shit out of her before the Joker recorded her to ensure that the public believed that she had been tortured by the Joker.

"Did you kill him," she asked as she looked around the empty floor, "Is that why he's not here?"

The Joker scoffed at her question and bounced on his heels as he added happily, "Of course not! I wouldn't kill my number one guy, now would I?"

Bagheera felt a strange smile tug at her pink lips at his words as she asked, "Then he is in jail?"

"Nu uh," the Joker said with a wag of his finger, "Guess again?"

She looked him over as her brows furrowed as she tried to find another answer that would fit with the large henchman's absence.

"He's Batman," she asked with a shrug and a smile, knowing that the Joker's henchman was not the infamous vigilante.

The Joker laughed loudly at her joke as if it was the funniest thing that he had ever heard. He grabbed at his rib cage as the giggles escaped him as he repeated her words in jest multiple times. Bagheera stood there with a glint of pride in her eyes that she had actually told a joke that had gotten a laughing response.

"Was that a joke Baggy," he asked as his guffaws slowly faded, "because that was a good one. Bob-o had a sick kiddo. I gave him the night off. I think he ugh, really likes ya Baggy."

"Yeah," she asked as she watched him fiddle into his jacket, "Your cards aren't in there," she watched as he smiled at her, his eyes were dark as he took her shaking body in, "Just a-"

"William Barba," the Joker read aloud as he pulled the blue credit card out of his pocket. He looked over to Bagheera and smiled wickedly at her, "Is that his shirt you're wearing?"

"That's none of your business," she informed him quickly and turned her attentions back on the ferries below and added solemnly, "You don't have to kill them. You can just leave."

The Joker licked his scars as he moved towards her to look down at the water, the lights and the moon shown down beautifully on the water below them.

"Once ya make a plan, Bags," the Joker announced dangerously, "There's no turning back."

"You know that's not true," she informed him with a lifted brow, "You, yourself, said that you don't make plans. This is a scheme, you thought about it. What happened to you to make you plan to destroy Gotham?"

The Joker smiled darkly at her. She had spunk that his victims never showed. She was worth keeping alive, but he wanted to make sure she stayed on her toes and tiptoed around him as if he were a wild, sleeping dog surrounded by eggshells. His arm ripped through the cool air and grasped the back of her neck tightly. He jerked her towards him, her arms held tightly in front of her against his chest and shoulders as she tried to keep distance between the two.

"Come here," the Joker demanded of her as he watched the anger glitter in her bright blue eyes, "Now open up."

Bagheera's eyes widened as he shoved the sharp, dirty blade into her mouth. She gasped as the awful taste of metal and her blood filled her mouth. She could feel the blade against the inside of her cheeks and her lower gums. The blade lightly cut into her lip and bleed slowly. She felt her tongue trying to push the invading weapon out of her mouth as she looked up into the Joker's darkened, interested eyes. She stopped fighting against him and stood in his arms.

"You want to know what happened to me, Baggy? How I got these scars, hmm," he asked as he looked from her bloodied bottom lip and back to her eyes, he licked his own lips as he thought of a story and replied, "I had a daughter, a beautiful baby girl. Now," he sucked against the scar tissue in his mouth, "my wife died in childbirth, leaving me as a single father."

Bagheera looked into his eyes as he moved the blade to the other side of her mouth. She breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't slit the tip of her tongue off as he did so.

"She was just five months old when an intruder came into our home," he added as he once again licked his lips, he glared into her blue eyes, "while we slept. They stole her from me," he smiled like a crazed psychopath in Arkham Asylum, "but not before doing this," he licked at his lips showing off his painted scars, "to my face. So you see, Baggy," he pulled the blade from her mouth and held her tight in his arms to keep her in place, "I really have nothing to lose."

Bagheera shook her head and looked to the bloody knife. Her blood stained the silver blade and shined in the moonlight like bright rubies.

"You're lying," she hissed bravely as blood trickled down her lip, "You've used a drunken father and a gambling wife before. Why not use a stolen child to the list," she shook her head as she forced herself to lean into his ear and whispered, "You're _pathetic._"

The Joker laughed once again as he threw her out of his arms. The two dogs barked as her body flung towards the hard wood floor. He watched as she hit the ground and rolled multiple times before coming to a stop with a groan of pain. He laughed as he watched her roll over onto her back. A hint of disappointment filled him at the lack of a bloodstain formed on her shirt from broken stitches but he continued forward.

"Nothing happened to me," he informed her in a sing song voice, "I just happened."

"Don't move, Baggy," he demanded as he turned his back away from her.

Bagheera watched him as she lay on the dirty floor. The Joker pulled a few loose leaf papers out of his vest pocket and flipped to the correct page of where he wanted to start his speech. She watched as the Joker cleared his throat and looked down at the ferries below them.

"Tonight you're all goin' to be a part of a social experiment," she heard the Joker announce into a walkie talkie that she knew broadcasted into the two ferries, "With the magic of diesel fuel and ammonium nitrate, I'm ready right now to blow you all sky high. Anyone attempts to get off their boat," his voice was dark as he spoke of their future fates, "you all die. Each of you has a remote," Bagheera felt her heart stop at his words, "to blow up the other boat."

"No," Bagheera whispered as she looked passed him and towards the ferries, "Don't make them-"

"Such little faith for humanity Baggy," the Joker asked as he turned to look at her panicked expression that was painted on her face, "I think that's my favorite," he popped his T, "about you."

"At midnight, I blow you all up," the Joker added into the speaker as he turned his attentions back onto the ferries, "If, however, one of you pushes the button, I'll let that boat live. So who's it gonna be? Harvey Dent's most wanted scum bag collection…or the sweet and innocent civilians? You chooooosee."

Bagheera shook her head in denial. She held her breath and prayed to whatever entity would listen that the men and women on the boats below would not give in to his barbarianism.

"Oh," the Joker added, "and you might want to decide quickly because the people on the other boat may not be quite so noble."

Bagheera moaned as her abdomen began to ache once again. She looked down to see that blood was slowly seeping through her shirt.

"Shit," she whispered under her breath in pain as she heard the Joker giggling in his accomplishments. She could hear his feet dance upon the floor in happiness.

"Now let's see who has more honor in Gotham," the Joker announced as he looked down at her, "Gotham's scum or Gotham civilians."

"You're using fear to make them do something," Bagheera said in disappointment as she looked into his brown eyes as he stood above her.

"And don't you," he asked as he pulled her from the floor harshly, ignoring her groan of protest, "Isn't that what that gun and uh badge is for? Ya see, Bagheera, we are a lot alike."

"No," she answered honestly, "I am nothing like you. You act like we are the same, you're wrong. I have a life, I have people that care about me," she shook her head as he glared into her harsh blue eyes, "But you," she looked around at their surroundings, "this is all you have. Nothing. Your feed off fear and demand people cower to you or you'll blow them up. That's not a life. You have nothing and no one, just your dynamite, your gas and knives and guns…and your purple suit."

The Joker smiled at her observation. Her blue eyes shook in her skull as she watched his face for some kind of telltale sign of how he would react to her observation, but he kept his features still as he took in her words instead of ignoring them.

"And I have you too," he informed her with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"No you don't."

"Technically I do," he informed her with a smile and a sing song tone, "I mean," he shrugged his shoulders, "you're here with me now," his brows furrowed, "Which leaves me with the question, why did you leave Mr. William Barba's home to come back into Gotham?"

She didn't answer his question. Her face was blank and emotionless as she stood beside him.

"Ya see," he answered, "when I want something, I take it…by force if necessary."

"No," she said in a harsh tone while she shook her head in disagreement, "You won't have me."

"I won't have to do anything," the Joker informed her with a growing grin, "You'll come to me on your own."

"You're sick," she hissed as he dragged her towards the edge of the building to look down on the ferries, the dogs growled as helicopters passed by them to watch the ferries.

"Those hostages from the hospital," she said as she looked down at the building, she could see that windows filled every angle of the building, "You're using them to take the fall for your men? We're all alone here?"

The Joker smiled at her and replied, "You're smarter than the others. I like that. Some of my men are down there, to keep an eye out for some pesky bats."

The sound of muffled screams came from below them and her eyes widened at the realization that the Batman had found them. She pulled herself away from the Joker and moved herself away from the ledge. She leaned against a pillar and listened to the muffled screams and the sound of the approaching SWAT helicopter. The dogs growled and barked their warnings and she turned slightly to see the Batman making his way slowly towards them. She watched the clown smile in delight at his sudden appearance.

"Ah you made it," the Joker said as he picked up a metal pole from the ground and walked slightly towards the vigilante, "I'm so thrilled. Baggy, over there, was beginning to get worried."

"Where's the detonator," the Batman asked in his husky, angry tone.

Bagheera watched as the Joker commanded the dogs to attack and she forced herself away from the wall.

"It's in his pocket," she screamed as she tried to make her way passed the Joker. She felt his hand grab onto her wrist and jerk her backwards. He giggled as she fought like a wild beast against him as the Batman was fighting against his dogs.

"Stop this," she whispered to the Joker, hoping that he would listen to her, "You're better than this."

Bagheera felt the Joker shove her away in anger into the middle of the dogs. She hurried onto her bottom and scooted back quickly in terror as one of the dogs turned sights on her. She screamed as the Rottweiler lunged after her and wrapped its powerful jaws around her ankle and began to pull at her like she was a rag doll. She could hear the Joker laughing erratically as she tried to kick at the dog with her free leg.

Bagheera bit at her bottom lip as her blood fell onto the floor from her ankle. She could feel the animal's teeth and spit inside of her as she tried to escape. She watched through teary eyes as the Joker made his way towards her and the Batman that were fighting dogs. She screamed as the Joker brought down the lead pipe onto the dog that had attacked her and shoved the crying dog away from her. Bagheera pulled herself away from the action and placed herself up against the bannister where she had originally been before the Batman appeared. She watched in silent horror as the Joker slammed the pipe against the Batman over and over again. She could hear the Batman softly groaning as he fought off both the dogs and the clown. She looked down at her bare ankle to see blood trailing down her white skin. The moonlight made it appear almost black against the pale skin of her leg.

She could hear the violent blows that the Joker was giving the Batman from where she leaned in exhaustion. She turned her attention away from her bloody ankle and back towards the fight. She watched as the Joker became almost uncontrollably violent as he threw punches over and over again at the Batman. She could hear his deep breathing as he did so and she watched as he began to beat him with the lead pipe.

Batman took the moment that the Joker misstepped and kicked him away from him. Another dog lurched for Batman, but he quickly shoved the dog away for good. Bagheera turned her attention to the fallen Joker. She could see that Barba's gun had fallen out of his jacket pocket and into the darkness where he did not see. She held the smile in as she watched him jump back to his feet with anger in his eyes.

The Joker ran towards the Batman as he pulled himself from the ground. He hit the masked vigilante in the back of the head with the pipe and shoved him into an old net that remained inside of the building. He chuckled as the Batman got caught inside of it like a fish in the water. He kicked the Batman once more towards the opened siding of the building.

Bagheera watched in stunned horror as the Joker jumped on top of the Batman and held a knife up high above him.

"Oh all the familiar places," the Joker said to the Batman in a dark tone. Bagheera shook her head as she recalled that he had said the same words to her when he had gotten on top of her.

"Don't," she whispered, her voice was wounded from the scream that she had used when the dog had attacked her.

Batman punched the Joker again and kicked him away once again. Bagheera slowly made her way towards the forgotten gun as the two men were pre-occupied. The sound of breaking glass pulled her away from her slow movements and she turned to see the Joker once again on top of the Batman. She could see that the two were on the ledge of the building. Panic filled her as she thought of them falling to their deaths.

She hurriedly grabbed the gun and hid from sight if the two happened to look her way. She watched as the Joker pinned the Batman down and sat atop him once again.

"We really should stop this fighting," Joker said as he looked down at the Batman, "or else we'll miss the fireworks."

Bagheera looked out to the ferries and slowly, with a slight limp, walked towards the edge to get a better look. She held her breath as she edged her way towards the two men.

"See even Baggy wants to see," the Joker announced with his back to her, "We all want to see what Gotham will do."

"There won't be any fireworks," Batman informed the Joker.

The Joker smiled at him and looked to the ferries with a large, triumphant smile, "And," he held his hand high, "here, we, go."

Bagheera watched with fearful silence as the ferries stayed in one place. There were no fireworks just like the Batman had said. She and the Joker both turned to look at the clock that had been mounted in a small office to see that it read exactly 12:00.

"What were you trying to prove," the Batman asked as he pulled their attentions back to him, "that deep down everyone is as ugly as you."

Bagheera watched as the Joker threw the lead pipe away from him in anger and growled as he lurched into his pocket for the detonator. Bagheera stood in stunned silence as she watched the two men.

"You're alone," Batman informed him, just as Bagheera had done only minutes before his arrival.

"You can't rely on anyone these days," the Joker informed them in disappointment as he looked to the two ferries, "You have to do everything yourself," he looked down to Batman and added, "Don't leave. That's okay though, I came prepared."

Bagheera watched as the Joker looked down to the detonator and then back to the ferries, "It's a funny world we live in. Speaking of which, do you know how I got these scars?"

Bagheera forced her feet forward and she brought the gun out from behind her back as she stepped towards the two men to stop the Joker before he pressed the button. Adrenaline rushed through her body as she silently made her way towards the back of the purple clown.

"No," the Batman answered, "But I know how you got these."

Bagheera watched as the Joker yelped and fell backwards as some strange contraption escaped the Batman's suit. She watched in horror as the Batman grabbed the Joker's shoulders and jerked him off of the side of the building.

"No," Bagheera screamed, finding her voice, and rushed against the pain and limp in her leg. She looked over the railing to see the Joker falling rapidly down the side of the building. Her chest moved quickly up and down as she watched her target falling to his death. Fear bubbled through her as she listened to the Joker laughing as he fell through the air towards his death. Her eyes were wide in horror until she turned to the Batman with forming anger in her heart. She watched as he shot something at the falling clown that stopped him in midair and pulled him back up to their floor. Bagheera felt her heart still as he came into view with a disappointed smile that he had directed at both of them.

"You just couldn't let me go, could you," the Joker asked as he looked at them both, "This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immoveable object. You, Batman," he directed his speech towards the caped crusader, "are truly incorruptible, aren't you?"

Bagheera kept her eyes on the Joker as he swung from the strong rope that the Batman had caught him with.

"You won't kill me," the Joker added, "Just like Bagheera won't kill me. But you have some misplaced honor of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you are just too much fun," he licked his lips and directed his gaze to Bagheera, "I think you and I are destined to do this forever."

"You'll be in a padded cell forever," Batman answered.

"Maybe we could share one," the Joker said happily as he looked away from Bagheera, "Ya know they'll be doubling up inhabitants at the rate people in this city are losing their minds."

"This city just showed you that it is filled with people ready to believe in good," Batman informed him.

"Bagheera doesn't," the Joker informed the Batman, "In fact, my little panther knows what lives in this city. She knows the truth. They'll believe until their spirit breaks completely. Ask Baggy what broke her spirit, hmm? That would be a great insight to the criminal justice field and women."

Bagheera looked away from the Joker momentarily and held the gun tightly in her palm as she thought on all the shit she had to put up with while being in the criminal justice field. The Joker had told the truth on that part. She didn't believe in the greater good of people anymore.

"Wait until they get a good look at the real Harvey Dent," the Joker added with a knowing smile, "and all the heroic things he's done lately."

Batman looked at the Joker in confusion, "You didn't think that I'd risk losing the battle over Gotham's soul in a fist fight with you," he shook his head as he watched Bagheera raise her gun to the Batman's scowl, "No, you need an ace in the hole. Mine's Harvey."

"What did you do," Batman asked.

Bagheera clicked the .45 caliber into place as she stood above the Batman before the Joker could answer the question.

"I took Gotham's white knight," the Joker smiled as he watched confusion come over the hero's features, "and I brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. Ya see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push."

The Joker chuckled in triumph.

"Stand up," Bagheera demanded of the Batman, "You hold your hands up. You try anything, I'll shoot you in the mouth. You understand?"

Joker watched her with curiosity as he laughed in the wind. He chuckled as he witnessed a confuse look come over the Batman as he stood on the wrong side of a .45.

Batman turned to look at her with confusion, "What-"

"He's mine," she informed him harshly as she held her gun steady in her hand, "I was brought to catch him. I was the one that did. You aren't taking the credit on this one. Get out of her," she glared at him with harsh blue eyes, "Now."

She watched as the Batman made a move towards his belt, "Ah ah. No," she said with a shake of her hand, "All I have to say is that you assaulted an officer of the law and a bullet in the mouth is overlooked."

The Joker watched the detective stand up against Gotham's dark knight. For a moment, he saw that strong, fiery woman that had fought him and gained the upper hand against him in his bedroom. He could hear the anger and truth in her voice just the same as when she had whispered darkly in his ear on his bedroom floor. He knew there was so much more to her than a cop. She had a darker side and he knew it had to do with her familial relationship with Dr. Jonathon Crane.

Bagheera moved to the side and allowed him to walk passed her without a word. She looked to the Joker and shook her head as she glared at him. She stood in silence watching him dangle in the wind.

"You couldn't let him kill me could you," the Joker asked as he watched her drop the pistol to the floor, "I kinda grow on you don't I?"

"You don't deserve a death like that," she informed him as she looked out to the ferries, "He proved us wrong. I really did think that one of them would have pushed that butt-"

She screamed as she felt the Joker's hand wrap against her bitten ankle and jerk her off the building. Her back slammed against the floor of the building as she was ripped from her standing position. She felt the ground below her leave as she was pulled into the air. She clawed at the Joker's body as she fell and held on to him tightly as she fluttered in the air. Her fingers turned white as she held onto his belt loops. The Joker giggled as he wiggled in the wind. Her head leaned against his belly as she tightly held him in an upside down embrace as they swayed together in the choppy wind.

"And here we are again," the Joker said in a sing song voice as he forced himself to sway in the wind. He laughed as Bagheera's shoe slipped off of her left foot and fell to the ground far below. He hummed happily as he swayed in the air.

"Sto-," Bagheera cried just as she lost her grip on his belt loops and slid down him. She felt her stomach flop inside of her as she fell from her hold.

"Ah, I got ya Baggy," the Joker sang as he gripped tightly onto her arm.

Bagheera felt her world stop falling in an instant and the Joker's gloved grip held her tightly in place with him. The wind fluttered her black skirt as she swayed lightly in the air with him. Her heart beat at an erratic pace as she forced herself not to look down. She looked to the Joker as the air swished her hair about.

"I'm going to fall," she cried as she looked up to him with complete fear in her eyes as she dangled above the earth from the sixth story of the old Prewitt building.

"No ya want," the Joker said happily, "I got you."

Bagheera forced her free arm upwards and gripped tightly onto his suspenders. She held onto him tighter than she had ever held onto anyone as they dangled together with the wind buzzing by them. She closed her eyes as the helicopter flew beside them, shining the light down on them.

"Oh my God," she whispered as the loud thumming of the blades forced the wind to blow them about wildly. She ignored the Joker's laughter as she held on to him. She ignored the smell of gasoline and gun powder that wafted off of his jacket that she had been wearing.

"All it takes is a little push, Bag-"

"Shut up," Bagheera said in anger and fear, with her eyes still closed, "Just shut up!"

The Joker started to laugh hysterically as they swayed in the air. She could hear footsteps from combat boots making their way towards them.

"What the hell," she heard a man ask in confusion, "Who the hell is that?!"

Bagheera opened her eyes as the Joker continued to laugh and hold her tight in his grip. The men's flashlights almost blinded her as she looked towards the small group of National Guards and officers that had come to collect the Joker.

"I'm Detective Bagheera Lewis," she screamed over the Joker's laughter, "Gotham PD!"

"Alright," one of the men answered, "We're going to bring you over. If he tries anything we will shoot."

"No," Bagheera yelled as the wind blew her dark hair about, "He's under my custody. You do as I tell you."

"I can't-"

"You get us the fuck back on the ground," she screamed her order as anger bubbled inside of her, "and let me arrest him!"

She didn't hear a reply from the guard as the two swayed together. She felt the pull and her heart slowed as they moved closer and closer to the floor of the building.

"Ladies first," the Joker whispered through his soft chuckles as he watched both her feet lightly touch against the floor. He let her slip from his tight grip and smiled deviously as a single officer began to bring him to the ground.

Bagheera bent over and picked up Barba's forgotten gun and stuffed it between her hip and the fabric of the borrowed skirt. She pushed her tired body forward, away from the Joker and away from the edge of the building. She turned to watch as a man untied the Joker from the stiff rope that the Batman had used to hold him up above the ground far below.

"Why didn't he let you go," she heard one of the men ask in confusion and suspicion, but Bagheera ignored him as she looked at the Joker who was being patted down by the man that had untied him. The other officers held their guns, ready to shoot him.

"Joker," she announced, her voice fueled with venomous anger as she glared at him, "You are under arrest. You have the right to remain-"

The Joker chuckled as he lunged forward away from the edge and grabbed the man closest to him. He placed a sharp blade against the man's throat and smiled as he looked to the frightened men that stood around him.

"Don't shoot him," Bagheera demanded as she watched the Joker lick at him lips and jerk the high powered rifle out of the man's hands and point it towards the men, away from her she noticed. She jerked the gun out of its hiding spot and pointed it at him with unshaking hands.

"I don't think that you're going to catch me just yet, Baggy," the Joker said with a chuckle as he looked at Bagheera. A man moved from his position and raised his gun high, "Ah ah," the Joker said and shot and took down a uniformed officer beside him.

Bagheera pulled the trigger of her pistol before any of the other men could react. The shot echoed loudly as the bullet slammed through the air. Her heart stopped as she watched the Joker groan and fall to the ground on his back. She watched in disbelief as blood poured from his chest. She never thought that she would actually cut him down, but her instincts had reacted before her mind. She could hear his choking breathes as he lay bleeding on the ground.

The Joker chuckled softly as the pain seemed to fade from his body as he lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling. Bagheera came into his vision and he smiled at her with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Ya really did it," he said as he tried to catch his breath, he looked up to her with proud surprise, "You really did," he gasped for air as he lay helplessly on the ground, though a smile never left his face as he lay bleeding, "She really did it."

"We need a bus," one of the men demanded into his radio as the Joker's blood bled through his shirt.

"I told you," she whispered as she kneeled down beside him watching his chest move up and down with each labored breath, "you make me pull, I'd put you down."

"But you just couldn't hit my heart," he asked as he gave her a wink through painful gasps of air. He watched as she blinked at his observation and moved from her kneeling position back to her standing position above the Joker. She watched as the criminal slipped into unconsciousness at her feet from her bullet.

"What's this _freak _done anyways," a National Guardsman asked as he looked down on the clown. Bagheera slowly turned to look at the man, she hid her anger inside of her as she eyed his baby face.

"He steals money and blows shit up," she informed the young man as she pulled herself away from the Joker's limp body. A concoction of emotions boiled inside of her stomach as she pushed her tired body down the many stairs that the Joker had brought her up previously. The last few weeks in Gotham had revolved around her chasing the Joker and now she had completed that task while her cousin ran the streets of Gotham terrorizing innocent civilians with his fear toxins. Her heart fell at the thought.

"_They used him against you. They all did. You let them know your one weakness and it was used against you perfectly. Idiot."_

She bit at her lip as the voice in her head began to turn on her. Tears formed in her eyes and a lump filled her throat as her body so desperately wanted her to breakdown. She had held everything in. The Joker shooting her, the loneliness that Gotham had brought her, the kidnapping, Batman, the media's portrayal of her, Crane…everything had been building up to this point as she walked away from the mess from the highest floor.

"Bagheera," she heard a familiar voice call to her with worry in his voice.

She jerked herself out of her dark thoughts and looked forward to see William Barba rushing towards her.

"Are you ok-"

Bagheera wasted no time in wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close to her. She could smell his expensive aftershave, the same lovely scent that she had taken in when she pretended to sleep against him. She held on to him as if he were the only person left in the world. Her heart beat as she held him close to her. She could hear him breathing against her as he slowly, in awkwardness at the sudden contact, placed his arms around her.

"I didn't know where," Barba started to say as he allowed her to squeeze him tightly. He stopped midsentence as he heard the sob escape her. His heart fell at the devastated sound that escaped from the woman in his arms. He felt her legs begin to give way under her as she seemed to give up her spirit.

"Shush," he whispered as he hugged her warmly in comfort, he wrapped his arms around her protectively to hold her up from falling to her knees on the floor. He held his chin upon the top of her head as he held her shaking body in his arms, "It's okay now. It's over. You're safe now."

Bagheera felt the long held in tears fall from her eyes and down her cheeks. She felt wounded and open as she cried into his shoulder after only one unofficial date. Everything had been on her shoulders and it was finally over. She could finally relax, but she felt wounded in her soul from everything that she had experienced in her life. She was grateful for his presence because she needed someone to reassure her that she was still herself. She held on to him as if her life and sanity depended on him holding her in that moment. She had never needed someone to be near her until that moment. His warmth and the feel of his chest moving up and down comforted her as she felt like she was a wall of dominos falling. Everything that had ever happened to her, everything that she had become, had led up to this point as she remained in his protective embrace. The tears fell freely as the heavy burden of ridding Gotham City of the Joker fell from her.

She had thought that she had lied to the Joker when she said that she had people that cared for her, but William Barba had come after her. He had been there for her since she woke up in the hospital. The Batman hadn't come for her, Barba had come for her, and she felt a warmth grow inside of her at that simple thought. A man that she had only just begun to get to know had come for her when he had no reason to.

"_But why are you important to him," _the dark thought whispered, but she pushed it aside as she held the man in her arms.

"Take me home," she whispered into his ear as her sobs slowed to simple sniffles as the paramedics moved passed them towards where she had left the Joker, "I don't want to see him."

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**Ahh this was the last big chapter for this story. Now I'm just winding it down in the remaining chapters. **

**So what do you think about Bagheera's relationship with Batman? **

**What do you think about Bagheera shooting Joker?! I had originally planned on that not happening but with the press always talking about her previous shootings. **


	14. Stand By Me

**Chapter 14: Stand By Me**

**So I realize most of you will hate me by the end of this chapter. So here's a few things:**

**If you haven't realized, I portray Jonathon Crane with duel personality because I think that fits in more with the atmosphere I have created in this fic. **

**There is a lot of psychology that is between Crane's and Bagheera's history together that will be more explored in the next story. I've only given little tidbits.**

**And to make up for you all hating me, I've made a awesome video for you all. I spent two weeks working on it and I hope you like it. It's on my profile on here. Tell me what you think of it when you finish it :)**

* * *

Bagheera found herself in a small room with cameras at every angle pointed directly at her. She felt as if she had committed a terrorist act as she looked at each camera and then to the two way mirror where she knew men with high ranking stars and government officials stood behind to watch her reactions. The tears that she had cried while in Barba's arms had long since vanished, but the exhausted coldness that ran through her filled her body as she sat completely alone in the room. She sat in the same darkened room that the Joker had inhabited only days before, she sat in the very chair that he had sat in. She could see the cracks in the two way mirror from where the Batman had thrown the clown into.

The door opened with a loud screech as the bottom of the door swept against the tiled floor. She looked away from the cracked mirror and turned to face the scrawny man in a cheap suit that walked into speak with her.

"Ms. Lewis," the man asked as he walked over to the small table to sit in front of her.

"Detective Lewis," she corrected with a bitterness in her voice. She clicked the t's in her words.

"Detective," the man corrected, "I'm Donald Leeks, agent at Internal Affairs. I'm here because Agent Barba has waived a conflict of interest on your case. "

"I don't care who you are," she answered bitterly, she leaned against the table as she glared into the man's green eyes, "I just want to get this over with so I can go home," she shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in her chair casually as she added, "I'm on vacation."

If Donald had watched the hidden camera on the Joker's behavior, he would have noticed that the female detective had picked up on some of the clown's movements under pressure of an officer.

"Tell me what happened that led to you being the madman's, known as the Joker, hostage again," Donald asked.

Bagheera nodded and answered honestly, "I was staying at Agent Barba's home for my protection. My cousin, Dr. Jonathon Crane, had escaped Arkham and I was worried that Harvey Dent had been involved."

"Why were you worried about the district attorney?"

"Because during the attack on the hospital," she informed him as she leaned into the table and laid her elbows against the beat up material, "the Joker came for me. He tried to overdose me on morphine and he took me into Dent's room. The Joker told him the most awful things about how it was Gotham PD's fault on what happened to him and Rachel Dawes," she stopped and shook her head, "the last thing I remember is the Joker handing him a gun."

"And you did nothing," Donald asked.

"Like I said I was drugged," she answered, "but I did try to tell him that everything that the Joker said was a lie. The Joker was a little more convincing than me apparently."

"And you left safety to…"

"I wanted to find where Harvey was so I could have Jonathon taken back to Arkham to continue his treatment," she answered, "I knew that my best shot in finding them was to find the Joker. He set all of this into motion."

"And you were on vacation were you not," Donald asked.

"No," she answered, "I was still on active duty. The deal that was made between Gordon, Barba, and I was that I would be sent on vacation after the Joker was taken into custody. The Joker escaped which put me back on the case."

"So you found the Joker," he asked.

"No," Bagheera replied as anger filled her, "He found me at the gas station just off the freeway. He put a shot gun to my head and told me to drive."

"Did you think he was going to kill you if you didn't?"

Bagheera didn't answer his question quickly. She thought of the many times that the Joker had told her that he had no intention of ever killing her. She felt a shudder move through her body at the need to believe that he had meant what he said. There was very little doubt in her mind that if the moment arose and it was his freedom against her life, he would end her. He had the chance many times, but he had only incapacitated her for a while. He had never used deadly force against her. The Joker confused her on many levels, but his admission of her being so important to him that he could never kill her confused her the most.

She could feel the eyes of her superiors glaring at her through the two way mirror. The cameras seemed to zoom in on her face as she thought of a believable answer.

"Yes," she lied after a moment of thinking her answer over, "There's not a doubt in my mind that he would kill me if it suited his needs."

"What happened on that roof top, Detective Lewis? How did you end up dangling off the side of the roof with the Joker," Donald asked as he checked off his checklist of questions.

Bagheera shook her head as the anger faded from her system and was replaced by lethargy.

"The Batman came for him," she answered.

"And not you," Donald asked.

"He didn't come for me the first time, or the second time. Why would he come for me a third time?"

"Duly noted," the man answered as he scribbled something onto his checklist.

"They fought," she recalled as she placed her hand near her wound, "The Joker had shoved me so hard into the wall that I was almost useless. It had re-opened my stitches; Barba took me to an emergency care before coming here," she licked at her bottom lip as she added slowly in an uncomfortable tone as the man watched her closely, "the Batman threw the Joker off the building. He caught the Joker before he fell to his death."

"It was recorded by a news station that you pulled a gun on the Batman. What was that about Detective?"

"Official protocol is to arrest the Batman on sight," she answered without missing a beat, though she had mentally prepared herself for that question, "I was told that on my first day here. I was just following orders. Plus the Batman was in my way," she shrugged her shoulders, "the Joker was my case, I wasn't going to let some man-child steal my case. I went through the trauma of catching him. All the Batman did was use some fancy toy to find him. I did the grunt work and I paid for it, I deserved to catch him."

Donald shook his head, satisfied by her simple answer.

"You don't like the Batman," he asked.

"No. I have no use for a man that dresses like a bat," she answered bitterly, "He could have gone the normal route of becoming an officer of the law, but instead he decided to put officers and National Guardsmen in danger by dangling them out of a window. If he wants to help, he could help cops. Why not give officers those toys of his? There have been too many cops left dead in the street while he plays cops and robbers."

He didn't say anything in return. Bagheera watched him quickly jot some words down.

"And when he ran away," Donald informed, "that's when the Joker pulled you off with him?"

"I'm assuming you saw the footage," she answered with a shrug, "it's all there."

"He didn't let you go?"

"No."

"And why not? What makes Bagheera Lewis so important to the Joker," he asked as he eyed her carefully.

'_Don't tell him.'_

"I wish I knew," Bagheera lied as his words echoed in her mind of why she was so important to him, "Maybe you could ask him for me when you interview him."

"And the shooting afterwards," he asked, ignoring her daring suggestion, "it happened right after he shot an officer?"

"He pulled first," Bagheera answered honestly, "I drew faster than the rest. I shot him down," she quickly recalled a civilian screaming during Dent's address to the city over Batman's revelation, "There won't be any more dead cops."

The man nodded as he jotted down her reply. There was a silence that came between them. The only noises that could be heard were their breathing and the sound of the cameras filming.

"Is he dead," Bagheera asked softly, surprising herself for the question that had escaped her.

"No," Donald answered, "He was pretty damned close to death though. If the bullet would have been a few more inches to his left it would have pierced his heart. Somehow you managed to miss his lungs and his heart. He was taken to Arkham for observation. He won't be leaving the observation ward for about three weeks."

She nodded as she took in the information that Donald had given her. She hadn't killed the Joker like she had thought and a strange feeling of relief came over her at that tidbit.

"You're lucky Detective Lewis," Donald informed her as he stood from the table.

She looked up to him in confusion as he looked down on her from his standing position.

"If the Joker would have shot a National Guard," he informed her, "this case would be federal. You should thank the Joker for that," he threw her own suggestion of asking the Joker something back in her face, "He spared you a lot of national attention. I imagine attention is something that you are tired of getting."

"Thank you," she answered in mock sincerity as she watched the IA agent walk towards the door.

"You're free to go home Detective," he informed her in an almost snobbish tone, "Enjoy your two week vacation."

Bagheera stood slowly from her place at the table, moving slowly for her re-stitched wound, and made her way towards the door. She walked out to see men and women walking passed her. Uniformed officers made continued on with their duties as if nothing had occurred in the last 24 hours. Civilians sat in the small waiting room to make statements against criminals while a few criminals were being dragged in for booking. She felt like she was alone in the police station that had suffered, almost miraculously, small damage from the Joker's human bomb. She stood still as the people moved on with their life. Life was continuing on without her.

"Detective Lewis," a voice announced and pulled her away from the dark, lonely thoughts. She turned to see a female Asian officer walking up to her with a man and a teenage girl following close behind. Bagheera smiled as she immediately recognized the man as the cab driver that she had first met when she came back to Gotham City and the teenage girl as Ashley from the small grocery store.

"They brought you something," the woman informed her.

Bagheera forced herself to stand tall as she walked toward the two visitors.

"I thought I recognized your last name," Bagheera informed the teen as she reached to shake their hands, she smiled at Martin Davies as she added, "Nice to see you again, Mr. Davies."

"You forgot this," Ashley answered as she handed Bagheera the cell phone that she had left in the grocery store.

"Well thank you," she answered as she took the phone from the teenage girl and added with a joking chuckle "I can get Agent Barba off my back now."

"So you got him," Martin Davies asked.

"Yeah," Bagheera answered with a nod, "I got him. He's in Arkham for now."

Ashley smiled brightly at the revelation.

Martin pulled his daughter in close to him and said with pride, "Claudia would be happy."

"Thank you," Bagheera said to the father, she watched as a look of confusion came across his face momentarily, "for believing in me. You told me in the cab that you knew I was going to catch him. Thank you for that," she shook her head, "if it wasn't for that, I don't think I would have pushed forward after his first attack on me. It's because of you that I finished this."

"Bagheera," Barba's voice announced as he walked towards them, "A word?"

Bagheera smiled at the two and said to Ashley, "If you do stick to your plan to go into CJ, I would be proud to work with you."

Ashley smiled with a sparkling glint in her eyes as she watched Bagheera walk away from the two.

Bagheera smiled softly as she looked up to the man that had been there for her and handed him his cell phone with a soft chuckle.

"Forgive me," she asked with a small grin until she saw the look of apprehensiveness in his face as he looked her over, "What's wrong?"

"I just got word," he stopped and lightly grabbed her arm and pulled her into a small office away from eavesdroppers, "I've just been told that Dent has been found."

"And Jonathon," she asked as her heart seemed to stop beating in her chest, "Did they find him?"

Barba shook his head, "Dent was found murdered."

"Murdered," she asked in confusion, "Was it the mob?"

"No," he answered with a low, husky voice, "The Batman."

"That can't be," she said with a shake of her head in disbelief, "That can't be true. Where's Gordon?"

"They are going to start a manhunt for the Batman starting tonight," Barba informed her.

"I-"

"No," Barba interrupted, "You aren't going to be a part of it. I'm taking you home. You need to rest after what you've been through."

...

Two weeks had gone by without a single word from the Joker or from Jonathon Crane for Bagheera. Her mind was a mess as she wondered where her cousin had been hiding. The streets had become flooded with witch hunts for the Batman and the news moved on, leaving her in the past. She had gone on a few dates with William Barba, but they had yet to speak or act on what they had been feeling since they met.

Her apartment was empty and cold. She had spent her first night cleaning her apartment and thinking over the choices that she had made in life that had caused her to feel relief over the Joker not dying from her bullet.

Now she sat against the wall in her empty, lonely apartment wishing that she had adopted a dog just so she could have some company. The news was going into the weather segment and she listened to the forecaster announce that rain would soon find its way to Gotham City. The night sky lit up in the distance with lightning and thunder rumbled as the dark clouds slowly approached the city.

She closed her eyes momentarily as a sense of sleepiness fell over her. Her mind wandered through the many facets of her life and she couldn't help but think of where her cousin was hiding or if he was even hiding at all.

"Bagheera," she heard a muffled voice say from beside her. She opened her eyes and fear took over as she saw a man with a burlap sack over his head. She yelped as he pushed her into the wall. Her fearful blue eyes took in his oversized suit and loose tie.

"Jonathon," she asked with a hushed tone as she tried to glare through the eye holes of the sack. Her hands laced onto his lapels as he shoved her against the wall. Lightning flashed through the city. A loud pop sounded throughout her apartment and caused the lights to flicker off as she remained in her cousin's tight grip.

"I was so afraid that Harvey had," she trailed off as she tried to peer through the burlap sack.

"The only thing you have to fear is fear himself," the harsh voice said as he leaned his head closer towards her.

"Jonathon," she begged in fear as she allowed her hands to find his cheeks over the scratchy brown sack, "Come back to me. Fight him. You're there. I know you are still in there."

Bagheera's heart quickened in pace from the fear that rushed through her body as she watched ah pulled the bag off of his head.

"He's coming to get me," Jonathon whispered to her as his fingers moved over the buttons on her blouse.

"You can fight him," she whispered. Her eyes moved down to where his long fingers lingered over her clasped buttons. She wrapped her warm hands around his and she looked up to his darkened face, "Do you want to see it?"

Bagheera closed her eyes as she allowed him to unbutton her blouse and hold her in place against the wall. She shivered as the tips of his cold fingers lightly touched the reddened surface of her newly healed wound. She had known that he would ask to see it. It was in his sick mind, the need to see pain and fear and the scars that both left behind.

'_This is the only way to help him right now. Let him see the scar, let him touch'_ the dark voice in her head whispered as she thought back to the summer when they had first discovered what kept the Scarecrow from hurting Jonathon's young cousin.

'_Barba won't ever find out about this. He trusts you, Bagheera.'_

She took a deep breath as she pushed him away; her heart beat quickly in fear that the Scarecrow would overtake Jonathon and physically harm her for her actions.

"No," she whispered to her cousin as she moved away from him, her eyes peered down to the floor as a feeling of bravery and disgust mingled inside of her, "You need to leave."

The lights flickered back on and she looked over to her confused cousin. His eyes were the same bright blue of hers; there was no darkness that filled them that had always revealed the Scarecrow's presence. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at her sick cousin.

"How did he do it? What did he do to you," Jonathon asked in medical interest as he watched her new found strength paint her pained features.

Bagheera shook her head as she recalled the Joker's words to the Batman and said between an escaped sob, "I am what happens when an unstoppable force meets a moveable object. I'm moving in the same direction," she shook her head as her tears freely escaped her, "and I'm not taking you with me."

Jonathon didn't answer her. He looked at her in understanding, he knew that it had something to do with her run in with the Joker.

"He's changed things, Jonathon. He's changed me," she said in a whisper, she rolled her eyes as she wiped the fallen tears away from her reddened cheeks in an attempt to change the subject away from the Joker, "You're still sick. We can find you a different hospital if Arkham-"

"No," Jonathon said as he shook his head in disagreement as he looked over to his tearful younger cousin that stood with her shirt unbuttoned, the fabric of her pink bra peeking out for onlookers to see if they were to look through the window, "No more hospitals Bagheera."

"Then get out," she said in a strong voice, the same that she had used against the Joker but never against her own cousin, as she held in the sob that wanted to escape her. Her heart began to break as she looked at the only person that had been in her life since she lost her parents.

'_He's going to kill you and the Joker won't save you this time,' _the voice in her head was saying as it became more and more antagonistic. The voice that she had spent so long taming down had come back in full force. Her cousin and the Joker were the reasons for it. They were destructive to towns and to people.

Jonathon didn't reply to her harsh words.

"I said leave," she demanded again, her voice was dark and fueled by angry as she glared at her blue eyed cousin, "I'll call the police if you don't. I'll have you locked back up. All of this," she shook her head as she looked down at the blouse that he had been pulled open to see the disgusting scar the Joker had left her, "you just need to leave. Please."

"I understand," he answered honestly as he nodded, "but what about-"

"You need help Jonathon," she cried in a desperate attempt for him to leave her presence, "This isn't helping you. It never has. It was a lie that He made us believe! You're sick and I can't help you anymore. It's up to you to save yourself. Only you can help yourself. Take the pills Jonathon, get better. You can be the great doctor that you set out to be."

She watched with wide shoulders as she watched her sick cousin leave her apartment. She felt a relief come over her that she had been able to stop what had been going on between them for years if for only a night.

Bagheera turned away from Crane as he slipped out the window without a word and said in a whisper that allowed her accent to slip for only a moment, "Good bye Cousin Johnny."

She grabbed her car keys as she hurried out of her apartment. Something inside of her changed when she stood up against Jonathon Crane and the Scarecrow. He was her last wall to climb over to become a stronger person. The Joker had only been the pushing force that had sent her moving forward with a destination that she did not know of just yet. The storm broke as she made her way towards her car. The heavy rain soaked through white blouse and drenched her curly locks. Her adrenaline pushed her foot onto the gas pedal and the sound of the windshield wipers against the window matched the sound of her heart beating in her chest. She quickly found her way to the cul-de-sac where William Barba lived.

The woman smiled in anticipation as she pulled into his drive. The lights remained on and her heart beat with the excitement that was now flooding through her system. The stress that she had lived through the last few weeks was draining from her body the closer she found herself to the home of a man that had told her she would end up hating.

She hurried through the rain, the rain soaking her to the bone and the cold wind whipping through her hair, to the door. She rang the doorbell and held her breath as waited for Barba to open the door to bring in the light in her life.

"Bagheera, you're soaking wet," he asked in confusion as he opened the door and the light from inside fell over her drenched body.

"I couldn't sleep," she answered as she looked up to him and chuckled in slight embarrassment, "I needed to see you."

"Come in," he answered as he hurriedly opened the door and allowed her into the warmth of his house.

Bagheera brushed by him and she felt a strange sensation rush throughout her body as she did so. She could smell his cologne just like the night she pretended to fall asleep against him. She took in his simple outfit. His tie hung loose around his neck, he wore a dark green shirt that had been wrinkled from sitting on his couch, and he had a small stain on his black slacks from an earlier cooking incident. She fought the urge to shove him against the wall and kiss him deeply as she looked to his ruffled hair. She couldn't hear the radio playing old 1980s rock music and she smiled at him as she heard the beginning of her favorite White Snake song. _Is This Love _was exactly how she felt as she lingered in his presence in the middle of the night after only knowing him for less than four weeks.

"Will, I," she shook her head as she watched him shut the door behind him, "We really-"

"What's wrong," he asked as he took in her flushed pink skin as she stood in his house in drenched clothes, he walked closer to her and looked her over with concern in his eyes, "You come over here all soak and wet-"

Yeah," she said breathlessly as she shook her head and hurried into his arms, "I know. I can't take this anymore."

Her lips crashed against his and she inhaled his scent as she waited for only a few seconds for him to respond to her soft lips. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as they stood in the center of the room. Her soaked clothes seeped into his dry clothes as they held each other close. Bagheera could feel his hands cautiously move to the front of her blouse.

She pulled away from his kiss and leaned her forehead against his as she whispered with a deep, husky breath, "Just do it. Please."

Barba placed his lips against hers as he ripped her shirt open. Her buttons scattered across his floor as they both moved together to the music while never parting from the other's lips. What she had accomplished with Jonathon had given her a new strength to be with Barba. She shivered in excitement as the back of her thighs touched his couch where she had pretended to fall asleep against him. She giggled for the first time in a long time as they fell onto the couch while kissing. She felt the warmth of his lips leave hers and slowly explored her neck, down her chest to place small kisses against her wet skin, and to finally her lower abdomen where the Joker had stabbed her. She felt her breath catch in her throat as he placed lingering kisses against the scar as if he were apologizing for everything that had happened to her.

Bagheera smiled at the sentiment and pulled him back towards her to plant more passionate kisses against him. They had no need to fight for dominance in their kisses; each kiss was placed as if they had practiced before this ultimate goal. It was if they had been waiting their whole lives dreaming of finding the one person whose kisses matched up with their own ability.

Gravity jerked on them both as they fell from the couch and on to the floor. Barba fell onto his back with Bagheera on top of him. They both laughed as they looked at each other with sparkling eyes. The sudden fall did nothing to curb their electric attraction to each other as they lay against each other on the cold floor.

"I'm sorry," Barba said with a chuckle as Bagheera pulled herself from him.

"Let's go to bed," Bagheera said as she helped him from the floor, her smile was devious as she pulled him towards the stairs. She couldn't explain why or how the feelings that she had for the man had moved so quickly. It was like a spark inside of her every time that she was near him and when they finally kissed she felt like she had exploded on the inside.

In the early, dark hours of the morning, the storm had finally passed by them. Frogs and crickets sang to the sleeping couple that lay together under a thin sheet and comforter. Bagheera slept comfortably for the first night in a long time as she lay in William Barba's arms.

A soft movement beside her pulled Bagheera from her slumber. Her eyes fluttered open as she felt her lover's soft fingertips slowly moving down her bare arm. She turned to him with a soft smile as the smell of his cologne wafted over her once more.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he looked into her blue eyes.

Bagheera looked at him in slight confusion, her heart dropped in worry as she asked, "Why?"

"I don't want you to think-"

Her eyes hardened as she prepared to hear him tell her that she was nothing to him.

"I don't want you to think that I was trying to take advantage of you," he whispered as he looked her over, his hand moved towards her wild hair as he moved a strand away from her face, "You didn't have to do this because of the dates. I really like you. I wanted to-"

Bagheera laughed at his sentiment and placed a light kiss upon his lips as she replied with a smile, "William," she rolled her eyes as a giggle escaped her, "I'm not a teenage girl," she looked into his eyes as she whispered, "I wanted to be here with you. Whatever this is between us, it has a hold on me," she ran her hand over his chest and shook her head, "This wasn't a mistake. I came here because I needed to see you."

'_There's someone else you need to see too.'_

"Why am I so important to you," she asked, they were the same words that she had asked of the Joker when he had captured her.

He smiled at her and replied, "Because I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since I first met you. And when that happens to me, I tend to think that person is pretty important."

She smiled at his simple, meaningful answer. It hadn't been cryptic like the Joker's answer. It had been straight to the point and sweet.

"Bagheera," he whispered as he placed a kiss upon her forehead and wrapped his hand warmly around hers, "When I found out that the Joker had taken you again-"

She shook her head and whispered, "That's over now," she thought of the incident with the Joker and she felt her happiness subside for only a moment before adding in slight disbelief, "It's all over now."

...

Bagheera took a deep breath before entering the observational unit in Arkham Asylum. She had went for a drive and in a blink of an eye she had found herself at the insane hospital. She felt as if she held a gun against her head as she stood in front of his room. Thoughts disappeared from her mind as she crossed the threshold; thoughts of her nights with Barba escaped her as she looked to the clown, she could only think of the many conversations that she and the clown had while he held her captive.

The Joker didn't acknowledge her presence as she walked into his room with her gun posted against her hip and her badge tagged onto her belt. He ignored her hair that fell around her face instead of being thrown up in a messy pony tail like usual. He ignored everything about her as he bit at his lips. The paint had been mostly removed during his time there. His eyes remained black and she noticed the empty can of black shoe polish beside the bed.

The detective sat in the empty chair beside his bed. His purple jacket fell over the sides and the smell of gunpowder and gas still remained on the purple cloth. White gauze wrapped around his bare chest that moved with each breath he took. She could see his dark chest hairs and the small amounts of fat that had begun to form over his abdominal muscles that he had most likely shown off in high school with.

She looked over to the many medical bags that were connected to the Joker. His wrests and ankles were fastened to the metal poles of the hospital bed to keep him from escaping. She felt a small pang of guilt as she looked him over. He still said nothing to her.

She shook her head as she looked passed him. A solemn look painted her face as confusion came over her. She had planned on never seeing the Joker again, but here she was sitting at his bedside in silence as if there were no words that needed to be said between the two of them.

"I don't even know what brought me here," she whispered solemnly as she turned her attentions to his dark eyes. She felt as if she were staring back at herself, the horrible question of what if psychopathy lived within her as well, as she looked into his brown eyes.

The Joker chuckled softly as he looked her over with sharp, intent eyes and said in a hushed voice, "I think you and I are destined for this dance forever. You and I complete each other. "

* * *

**So there is the official end. I have just one little chapter left and it's just a peek into the trial, then I'll post a little teaser for the next story that I have yet to start.**

**I hope you all really enjoyed this fic as much as I loved writing it. **

**And I hope my video for you all makes up for how much you may hate me right now.**


	15. Coming to Terms

**Chapter 15: Coming to Terms**

Bagheera watched carefully as the Joker's mob lawyer questioned Gordon hard. The tone in the building was antagonistic with each prodding the attorney asked. She looked over to the female judge who kept her eyes on the Joker who was dressed in the orange jumpsuit. His face lacked his signature make up as he sat there silently all the while licking his lips. Bagheera kept her gaze away from the clown. Her heart beat quickly as the fear entered her. She would soon have to tell the court what had occurred between her and the Clown Prince of Crime.

She felt warm hands wrap around her cold hands in a calming manner. She looked down at her hands and allowed a soft smile to paint her weary features as she looked at the strong, warm hands that held her. The stress from trying to capture the Joker had faded, but the new stress from the trial had begun to overtake her like an ocean wave dragging her further into the darkness.

"It'll be okay," Barba whispered in her ear as he squeezed her hand lightly in a protective manner, "You'll do fine."

She smiled as she looked to him with thankful eyes. She had never actually had anyone in her life that had been in her corner. It was all new to her, but she knew she wanted it to become something that she would grow accustomed to. They had been dating for almost six months and he had been a constant support system for her while she was working out the events that had occurred in her life. The trial had dragged on forever it seemed while she had been placed on different assignments, none of which had been as life threatening as her case with the Joker. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her shaking nerves. She patted his hand softly and removed her hand from his grip. Her hands fiddled with the frills of her navy blue skirt. Her heels clicked against the floor as she waited for her name to be called upon the stand for the first time since the lengthy trial had begun.

"Detective Bagheera Lewis," her name rang through the silent court room. She stood from her place and made her way down the small aisle. She could feel the eyes of the Gotham citizens watching her closely as she walked while nervously pulling at her sleek outfit that she had bought just for the trial. She heard the Joker's wooden chair creak from his sudden movement forward in interest as she took to the stand in her sharp suit that seemed befitting to her rather than wearing the other boring choices in clothes that she had kept in her closet. Bagheera slowly allowed her eyes to peer over to the clown that she had captured and then over to his smug mob lawyer that sat with what seemed to be natural highlighter blonde hair with matching brows and piercing blue eyes that sent shivers down her spine. The lawyer was the definition of what the Nazis deemed a beautiful, perfect child. She cast her attentions to the prosecuting attorney and her nerves settled at the brunette's soft smile. With both the ADA and DA gone because of the Joker, an interim lawyer had settled in their place until new ones could be voted in.

Bagheera took her place beside the Joker and raised her hand as the bailiff swore her in. She tried to keep her eyes off the Joker as she took her place in the seat to be questioned by the attorneys.

"Could you introduce yourself to the jury," the prosecutor, Julian Gibbs, asked as she stood at her table.

"I'm Detective Bagheera Lewis," she answered, "I graduated with honors in criminology. I was a detective in Baltimore before coming back to Gotham."

"And what brought you to Gotham," Julian asked, her heels clicked against the tiled floor as she moved away from her desk.

"I was sent as a favor to Commissioner Gordon," Bagheera answered honestly, "with the knowledge that I would be leading in the Joker's case, to help bring the Joker in to custody."

"So you knew about the Joker before arriving in Gotham?"

"Yes," she said simply.

"And what were your first thoughts?"

Bagheera shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I knew he would be a tough case. He's smart," she graced the Joker with a quick glance that he caught as he gave her a large smile, "…he's a psychopath with a traumatic past."

"So you believe that he's insane," the attorney asked of her, "because I've heard from several of your colleagues that you had stated on several occasions that the Joker was not insane."

The Joker smiled with a twinkle in his eyes as he watched the detective lie under oath. He leaned forward as he watched her with keen interest. His little detective never failed to surprise him.

"He kidnapped me in the middle of the day," Bagheera retorted in self-defense, her voice hid the anger that was beginning to form inside of her, "he stabbed me and then stitched me up, he beat me," she left his henchman Bob out of everything, deciding a long time ago that she would find him on her own and have a few words with him, "then he threatened to blow up the hospital he put me and then saved me before it blew. I was again kidnapped by him where he later pulled me off the side of a tall building," she paused as she looked over to the jury who began to collectively twitch in uncomfortableness, "I changed my mind on how I thought of him."

"Objection," the defense attorney announced as he stood from the table, "This woman has no psychiatric background to make a decision on this."

"She is the only survivor of the Joker that can give us insight into his mind," Julian informed the Joker, "He refuses to talk to his psychiatrist. Detective Lewis is the only one with any type of insight into his mind."

"I will allow it," the judge answered.

"And at any point during this time did the Joker brainwash you?"

Bagheera's brows furrowed in confusion at the strange question, but then connected the dots to a rising criminal that Gordon had another team working on, "No. There's nothing connecting him to the new criminal who has dubbed himself as the Mad Hatter, and just to make matters clear, the Hatter performs lobotomies on his victims. He received his name because of a joke about him removing their hats of hair to get to their brains."

"Are you sure there is nothing connecting this new criminal to the Joker?"

"If there were any connection, that detective would have come to me," she answered, "The Joker steals money, blows shit up, and gives unlucky victim's a smile they will never forget."

"And why is it that they would come to you?"

"I'm still the lead detective on this case," Bagheera answered simply, "Any cases that bare any resemblance to the Joker's is automatically sent to me. I'm on duty 24/7 when it comes to this case There's been no mention of the Mad Hatter duplicating these crimes," she looked over to the Joker who had an amused expression pasted upon his features, "Besides, mind control isn't the Joker's fun. Breaking spirits with manipulation is."

"So you are an expert on the Joker," she asked.

"I wouldn't say that," Bagheera answered honestly.

"And did he do that to you, Detective Lewis? Did he manipulate you during your time alone with him?"

Bagheera looked down at her nails as she pondered the question, she shook her head and replied, "He can be very persuasive, but no he didn't manipulate me."

"Thank you," Julian Gibbs said with a smile, "I have no further questions."

The Joker's mob attorney, Charles Bernstein, stood once again and walked toward her. She watched as he grinned at her like a toothy lizard and leaned lazily against the bench. His arm was within mere inches of her microphone as he leaned against the wooden bench.

"How many men have you shot and killed in the line of duty, Ms. Lewis," Charles asked lazily.

"Just one," she answered in annoyance at her calling her Ms. Lewis instead of Detective Lewis.

"And is it true that you've shot others in the line of duty?"

"Yes," she answered honestly, she swept a fallen strand out of her eyes as she added, "I've shot six people so far, that's including the Joker. When I arrived in Gotham, I had only shot four."

"Six people," Charles asked in astonishment, "That's a lot of people, don't you think? You may soon be able to say that you are in _Ripley's Believe It or Not _for most criminals shot by a female cop."

A small chuckle echoed throughout the audience, mostly by men that had thought the idea as a funny, absurd one. Bagheera shot a glance over to the Joker who did not look amused by his lawyer's attempt at a joke.

"That's not funny," she could hear the Joker murmur under his breath.

"That's not funny," Bagheera answered in controlled anger, "I shot those criminals because my partners, innocent civilians, or I were in danger. It was all justified."

"Of course it was," Charles answered, "But what about shooting the Joker?"

"What about it?"

"You told him that you would shoot him," he asked with a look of suspicion, "Didn't you, Ms. Lewis?"

"It's Detective Lewis," Bagheera snapped as she momentarily lost her cool with the smug lawyer, "I told your client that if he made me pull on him that I would shoot him down."

"And you did?"

"Yes," she said in annoyance, her suppressed accent momentarily escaped her as she spoke.

"But you didn't kill him," the lawyer asked.

Bagheera's brows furrowed once again at his question.

"After everything that he put you through, you still couldn't drop him like that other man," Charles informed her, "Why is that?"

Bagheera licked at her bottom lip and looked over to Barba and then to the Joker who was staring at her with deadly interest. She truly had no idea why she did not put the clown down after her had committed all of those atrocious acts upon Gotham City.

"I don't know," she answered finally.

"You don't know?"

"That's what I said," she said defensively.

"Have you developed feelings for my client, Ms. Lewis," he asked, ignoring her deserved title.

"Objection," the prosecutor announced, "This is-"

"It goes to the reliability of this woman's testimony," the man said before allowing the prosecutor to finish her sentence.

"I'll allow this," the judge answered in a warning tone, "but you better be careful were you go with this."

Bagheera chuckled at the absurdity of the defense attorney's question, "What? You mean like Stockholm Syndrome," she shook her head as she glared at the man, "I can assure you that if I did, I wouldn't have pulled the trigger at all. I'd have let him kill all of those agents and officers on that roof."

The lawyer nodded in satisfaction at her answer. She watched him turn his back on her and walk towards the table where the Joker sat with his eyes transfixed on her.

"Can you tell me what you had to do to get into your position in Baltimore," Charles asked.

"I had to go through training," Bagheera said with a casual shrug of her shoulder.

"And a part of this training is to become a good shot, is it not?"

"Yeah sure," Bagheera answered as she watched the man pull a large, faded target from his brief case, "I'd like to add Exhibit G. Do you know what this is, Ms. Lewis?"

Bagheera closed her eyes as she watched the man bring the poster towards her. She could see the familiar bullet holes ripped through the chest and head of the target.

"It's a target practice poster," she answered, "We had to practice with them."

"And this, along with many others, is yours," the lawyer informed her, "Can you tell the jury where the bullets went through?"

Bagheera allowed her long fingers to pass through her hair as she looked to the poster and replied, "There are five holes in the targets chest and one in its head."

"So you are a pretty good shot," the man asked, "In fact, your instructor told me on the phone that you were one of his best students."

"I'm not that good apparently," she informed him with a shrug of her shoulders, "and what you are neglecting to say is that," she gave him a knowing smile as her nervousness escaped her as she realized what he was trying to accomplish, "I was only wearing one shoe. I was thrown off balance when I shot at him. If I wouldn't have lost that one shoe while dangling in the air, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

A large smile crossed the Joker's features as he listened to the detective defend herself against the rude little man that was his defense lawyer.

"Bagheera Lewis missed the Joker's heart," Charles stated as he turned to the jury, "She'd like you to believe that she is not a good shot, but the evidence is there for your very eyes. This woman would have killed the Bat-"

"Your Honor," the Joker announced in a high pitched tone as he stood quickly from his place and licked his lips, "My ugh lawyer here is painting the good detective in a bad light."

Confusion fell over Bagheera from his sudden outburst to stick up for her. She looked from the Joker to Barba as he watched the Joker with the same uneasy confusion.

"Baggy was a beacon," his voice was almost childlike as he defended Bagheera's honor, "of professionalism."

"Wait," the prosecutor asked, "You're standing up for her?"

Bagheera looked at him with utter confusion as she watched the clown sit back down as chuckles filled him, "She did what the Batman couldn't!"

The judge banged her gavel loudly against her wooden podium. Whispers and loud yells of cruelty against the Joker erupted throughout the court room.

"Order," the woman demanded of every soul in the court.

Bagheera felt her fear coming back to her as the Joker's almost unearthly laughter filled the courtroom. She felt a darkness enter her as she thought of why she had not been able to shoot him in the heart. She had been so close, but something had stopped her from taking his life.

"_You want his freedom, not his life," _the voice in her head whispered as she was dismissed from the witness stand.

...

Weeks had gone by with silent city streets since the Joker had been captured. Bagheera sat alone in the small, hole in the wall diner where old couples and Gotham University students sat together talking of the weather, the future, and a world where the Batman was the bad guy. Bagheera did not agree with the Batman's vigilante idea of justice, but she did not like the fact that the city had turned on someone that helped them.

She looked to the table beside her where an old man and his wife sat together in silence reading their newspapers. She read the ads for coupons while he read the sports section which allowed Bagheera to be able to see the headline that had been rushing rampantly through Gotham.

The Joker's trademark painted face took up most of the space on the first page. Bold black letters announced to the world that the deranged, mass murdering clown had been sentenced to consecutive life sentences in Arkham Asylum. She felt a sense of accomplishment splash over her as she basked in her successful solving of her biggest case.

"Are you ready to order," a small waitress asked of her as she poured Bagheera a fresh cup of coffee.

"No," she answered with a kind smile as she looked up to the young woman, "I'm going to wait for my boyfriend and his friend."

"Alright then," the girl answered as she continued on to check with her other tables.

Bagheera sat alone as she waited for Barba and his old college buddy to arrive. He had kept it a secret from her as to who was going to have lunch with them. She looked up as the bell rang through the small diner. She looked up to see Barba walking in with Gotham's billionaire playboy following behind him. Shivers of nervousness rippled down her spine as she watched a large smile appear on Bruce Wayne's handsome features as he followed Barba towards the table. She watched as the patrons of the diner cast their eyes towards him as he walked with a saucy aura.

"Sorry we're late," Barba explained as he sat beside her, "Bagheera, I think you know Bruce."

"Yes," she said, forcing a comfortable smile upon her face as she held her hand out to the billionaire shake once again, "We've met once or twice."

"I tried getting her out of her pants and into a dress," Bruce explained with a hearty chuckle as if he held no ill will against her for the antics that she had displayed on top of the Prewitt building.

Bagheera smiled at his reply and turned to her lover and explained, "He asked me to wear a dress at the little charity thing," she grinned and added casually, "if I had I would have never been able to get to shoot the Joker for the first time."

"And saved my little party," Bruce added as he watched for the young waitress to come over to take their drink orders, "I think I owe you a deal of gratitude for that."

"So you helped Will fail biology," Bagheera asked in an attempt to change the subject away from the Joker and his previous antics before he had kidnapped her and changed her life.

Bruce chuckled at her reply and said, "Is that what he told you? Because if I recall correctly it was Will that caused me to fail my intro to business class from all the parties."

"Well," Barba said with a shrug and a smile as he realized that he was a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "I couldn't take all the responsibility."

The three ordered their meals and the conversations continued as if there was no uneasiness between two of the diners. Bagheera felt like she had learned to cope through stressful situations, she knew she could pretend to be a normal person that had not been affected by the Joker or the Batman.

"If you'll excuse me," Barba announced as he pulled himself away from his meal, "I need to see a man about the check."

"Will, I can-"

"No, nonsense," Barba said quickly to interrupt Bruce Wayne's generous offer, "I invited you out to lunch, it's on me."

Bagheera smiled like a loving girlfriend as he stepped away from them, leaving the two to sit together in slight uneasiness. Bagheera tried to keep her focus away from the man that dressed as the Batman at night.

"So he seems happy," Bruce said in an effort to ease the thick silence that crept between them, "and you seem happier than the last time I saw you."

"Bruce, I," she began to explain, but she stopped as she watched the playboy billionaire smile at her in an effort to silence her.

"No," he replied, "I understand."

She shook her head, "It wasn't personal. It's just I've worked so hard," her voice took on a bitter tone as she explained, "bringing in the Joker for good would seal the deal of me going to Quantico. I'd have my chance at an amazing life again. I couldn't let," she looked around for eavesdroppers and lowered her voice in case, "I couldn't let that slip out of my hands."

"Thank you," Bruce said to her with a genuine smile.

Bagheera stared at him in confusion as she took in his genuine features of gratitude.

"For?"

"For keeping my secret," he answered simply.

"I would never knowingly put a civilian in danger," she informed him with a nod, "and as unbelievable as that sounds, you are still a civilian Mr. Wayne."

"Call me Bruce."

* * *

**The End!**


	16. The Evil That Men Do

**Teaser for The Evil That Men Do**

**So this is a little teaser for what may be coming in the next installment called "The Evil That Men Do"**

* * *

Bagheera stood in front of the cell. A smirk pulled at the sides of her lips, but she did not allow it to take over her features as she stood in front of his dangerous brown eyes. Dark bruises covered his eyes and a deep cut lingered on his plump lips.

"Well you wanted me," she stated with a shrug, "Here I am."

"You never disappoint, Baggy," he licked his wounded lip as he took her in, "and you are dressed impress," his voice was high pitched, "is that for little ol' me?"

"No," she answered, "Crawford seems to think that I can make you talk. He wants me to ask you his questions. He says that you think he's your mortal enemy."

The Joker laughed loudly at her words.

"No," he answered as he calmed his chuckles, "I just wanted to see how you were holding up after our, uh," he looked around as if he were about to spill a juicy piece of gossip, "little nights together."

"I'm fine," she answered in an emotionless tone, "You don't look too peachy."

"That's why I need you here," he informed her, "I can't do anything about the…ugh…sick things they try to do to me."

"I'm not your caretaker Joker," she informed him harshly with a lifted brow as she eyed his wounds, "You have a lawyer for that."

The Joker looked up at her with a wicked glint in his eyes as he added, "Not anymore."

...

"You're really somethin' ya know," the thick Jersey accented woman announced, "He likes talkin' about you. There's a sparkle there. What makes you so special, huh?"

Bagheera smiled at the young woman and shrugged her shoulders and replied in a matter of fact tone, "I don't know. I don't even want to try to get inside of his mind."

...

"She's dangerous," Bagheera warned the officers that she was to oversee, "I've arrested her twice. The first time the Batman interrupted out sting op. She was carrying a nine millimeter in her purse with the rounds ready, a bottle of mace hooked on her hip, and a pair of freshly sharpened scissors in her bra. She was like a wild animal. The second time, I asked her to surrender and she surrendered without a problem."

"She don't look like much," a male officer announced.

"She's even more unpredictable than the Joker," Bagheera informed them, "If she doesn't surrender peacefully, I expect some real help. Now, gentlemen, don't think this is going to be some cat fight between two girls that you can hoot and holler for. She is very dangerous. She is HIV positive so be careful around her, she could spit, bite, cut herself just to get away from you. Be careful when you place her into custody, she could have dirty needles in her hair or needles adorning her outfit. I can not reiterate how dangerous she is."

"Well one look at me-"

"No," Bagheera interrupted, "She is not interested in men. In fact, she would rather you be dead than walking. She has been seen with a string of female lovers. One of which died under mysterious circumstances when she was going to testify against her."

...

"Bagheera, darling," the almost purr like voice whispered as she glared down at the detective, "You always surprise me at how you made it in a world dominated by men."

"It wasn't easy," Bagheera answered as she trained her weapon on the woman, "Now you want to help me continue climbing that ladder until I break that glass ceiling by surrendering to me?"

...

"Where is he," Bagheera cried as anger and fear bubbled inside of her as her legs moved forward in a violent rage, "WHERE IS HE?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"

...

"The Joker has escaped, Bagheera," Gordon informed her as she stood in shock after everything that she had been through.

...

"I can't do this anymore," she whispered as she turned away from the Batman, "This heartache, this pain. I don't know how to handle it anymore."

...

"I didn't touch him," Joker informed her, "Are you sure he's what he is? How can you be so sure that your darling love isn't a criminal himself? How can you be sure that he's not lying to you?"

"Shut up," she whispered as the shred of doubt entered her mind, "He's good. He's decent."

"That's why you were standing outside of that building right before I blew it up," he said in a knowing, sing song voice.

...

"If you kill him, you better kill me because I am going to kill you and I will do it very slowly."

...

"Do you really know what happened to your mother and father?"

...

"Who are you?"

...

"He goes by different names," Bagheera announced to the man in charge, "Jack Napier is an assumed identity that he takes when he's not wearing the make up. Fingerprints in VICAP gave no matches to any matching Jack Napier in the system. The only Jack Napier is living in Dallas with his boyfriend. It's believed that the Joker's main henchman, who goes by the name of Bob, is a world class identity thief who had ties to the mob in New York City before coming to Gotham."

...

"Robert Burton," Bagheera announced as she cornered the man, "Also known as Bob," she smiled with a knowing, wicked glint in her eyes, "Hello Bob. Remember me?"

"You act more and more like him each day," he informed her with a smile, "He's had an effect on you."

"It would be a lie to say that he hasn't," she answered.

"And just for the record Detective Bagheera Lewis hasn't read me my rights yet, so I am assuming this isn't about what I had to do to you."

"No," she answered, "I need to understand."

"Business isn't that busy right now," he asked, "I'd figure you'd be really busy with that killer you got running around here."

"He wants to copy what the Joker has done. I need to know why the Joker did it. You are the only one he never tried to kill."

"He never tried to kill you either, Detective Lewis. In fact, you became his little hobby when your picture hit the papers."

...


End file.
